IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


7 


// 


/ 


/ 


y 


6=    €?.< 


tP   ^ 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


til    lllll  2.0 


IIIIIM 

U    III  1.6 


"/a 


e 


/a 


'^A 


c- 


^A 


^/   e%:' 


<J> 


ej 


V 


>(^ 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14580 

(  716  1  872-4503 


i^V 


% 


V 


■1/ 


■'^^ 


<> 


^ 


<?\ 


^^^  w 


m 


i    m?< 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


1980 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 

n 


□ 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagde 

Covors  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
jppear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6X6  film6es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires; 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uriques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 

I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pellicul^es 


I      I    Pages  damaged/ 

I      I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


□ 

n 

D 
D 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color§es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach^es 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

'^Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t^  filmdes  &  nouveau  de  fapon  6 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


1 

8 
1 
V 

l\ 

d 
'J 
b 
ri 
r( 
n 


,       This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 

10X                              14X                              18X                              22X 

26X 

30X 

v./ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

« 


ire 

details 
es  du 
modifier 
er  une 
filmage 


>es 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ♦►  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film^  fut  reproduit  grSce  d  la 
g^ndrositd  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  conditio'-*  et 
de  la  nettet^  de  l'exemplaire  fi!m6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim^e  sont  filmds  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  coit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  |j  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  cr  mporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


'  errata 
d  to 


e  pelure, 
:on  d 


n 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

I        III 


COERESPONDENCE  OF 
THOMAS  BARCLAY 


■J — J — ^_J, 


<■;£. 


i4? 


I.I      '  ■   >  I  I         *l 


.1        .1        1         I 


SELECTIONS  FROM 

THE 

CORRESPONDENCE 

OP 

THOMAS     BARCLAY 

FORMERLY   BPITI8H  CONSUL-GENERAL  AT  NEW   YORK 


EDITED  BY 


GEORGE  LOCKIIART  RIVES,  M.A. 

LATK    ASSISTANT    SECRETARY    OP    STATE 
OF    TUK    UNITED    STATES 


NEW    YORK 
HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1894 


'  ■■  fc  I.I.I  t. 


*Uy 


Copyright,  18D4,  by  Geokoe  Lockhart  Rivks. 


All  rights  reserved. 


i.") 


PUEFATORY  NOTE 


I 
I 


Of  the  rolum'mous  correspondence  of  Thomas  Barclay 
only  fragments  now  exist.  He  kept  few  of  the  letters  ad- 
dressed to  him,  and  none  of  a  purely  familiar  or  domestic 
Ixind.  Copies,  or  sometimes  rouyh  drafts,  of  the  letters  he 
wrote  ivere  entered  in  letter-hooks,  hut  none  of  his  j^apors 
exist  of  a  date  earlier  than  1790,  and  there  are  no  letter- 
hooks  later  than  1818.  Nevertheless,  fragmentary  as  the 
collection  generally  is,  the  records  of  many  of  his  puhlic 
services  are  tolerahly  complete ;  and  it  has  seemed  to  one 
of  his  descendants  that  the  jointing  of  portions  of  his 
correspondence  tvoidd  not  only  afford  some  memorial  of  a 
long  and  honorahle  career,  hut  might  also  throw  new  light 
upon  certain  historical  events. 

New-York,  Oct.  15,  1894. 


r> 


■— .»-   — I L. 


UO. 


'% 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I 
Earlier  Years 1 

CHAPTER  II 
The  True  River  St.  Croix 43 

CHAPTER  in 
Consul-general,  1799-1802 95 

CHAPTER  IV 
Consul-general,  1803-1804 145 

CHAPTER  V 
Consul-general,  1804-180G 203 

CHAPTER  VI 
Consul-general,  1807-1812 252 

CHAPTER  VII 
Agent  for  British  Prisoners 312 

CHAPTER  VIII 
The  Northeast  Boundary 353 

CHAPTER  IX 
Last  Days 405 


j 


CORRESPONDENCE 

OP 

THOMAS  BARCLAY 


CHAPTER  I 


EARLIER    YEARS 

THOMAS  Barclay  was  born  in  the  city  of  New-York 
on  October  12,  1753.  He  was  an  active  and  zeal- 
ous Loyalist  during  the  Revolution,  and  at  its  close 
sought  refuge  in  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia.  In 
1709  he  returned  to  New- York  as  British  Consul-Gen- 
eral ;  and  here,  with  brief  interruptions,  he  resided 
until  his  death  on  April  21,  1830.  Nearly  fifty  years 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  public  service  of  Great 
Britain,  and  yet  he  was  by  descent  and  marriage,  ns 
Avell  as  by  birth  and  residence,  essentially  an  American, 
and  not  an  Englishman.  He  was  indeed  a  very  typical 
New-Yorker,  of  the  pre-Revolutionary  and  loyal  sort ; 
closely  allied  to  the  English  Church,  and  the  Royal  Gov- 
ernment, but  tracing  his  descent  back  through  four  gen- 
erations to  some  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  colonies. 

John  Barclay,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America,  was 
a  member  of  an  ancient  Scottish  family,  and  settled 
about  1683  in  New  Jersey,  whither  he  had  been  di- 
rected through  the  influence  of  his  brother  Robert,  the 
well-known  author  of  the  "Apology  for  the  People 


Hw-*- 


-^--■^-'- 


>) 


CORHEKPONDENCK  OK  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


oallofl  Quakors."  Tt  oamo  about  thus:  tlio  Diiko  of 
York,  dividinjjj  up  tho  j^reat  i)rovin('('  gi-autinl  liim  by 
his  brothor,  hud  convoyod  wliat  is  now  Now  frcr.scy  to 
Sir  Goor^o  (-artoret  and  Lord  Borkoloy,  wliose  shares 
were  sul)soqu(>iitly  jjartitionod,  East  Jorsoy  l)eing  set 
apart  to  Carteret.  Carteret  dying,  East  Jersey  was  sold 
to  a  coin})any  of  twelvi^  (Quakers,  wlio  subsequently  as- 
soeiated  with  themselves  twelve  other  persc^ns,  mostly 
Scoteli;  and  to  thes'^  twent>-t'our  the  Duke  of  York, 
on  March  13,  108,'),  nuide  a  new  eonlirmatoi-y  grant. 
Among  the  twenty-four  proprietors  wen^  the  Earl  of 
Perth,  William  Penn,  and  Ko])ert  Barclay.  Barclay 
was  appointed  by  the  proprietors  to  bo  Crovernor  of 
East  Jersey  ;  but  ho  never  visited  the  colony,  admiids- 
tering  its  affairs  in  England.  He  sent  out  instead  his 
younger  broth(n's  David  and  John.  David  came  over 
in  1C84,  returned  again  to  Scotland,  and  sailing  from 
Aberdeen  the  end  of  August,  1(185,  died  at  sea.  John 
had  come  over  earlier,  for  ho  was  back  in  London  by 
the  end  of  December,  1()83,  bringing  letters  from  East 
Jersey.  One  may  guess  that  he  was  tlien  about  twenty- 
five  3'ears  old,  for  his  parents  were  married  on  January 
26,  1G48,  and  his  mother  died  in  10(5:),  leaving  live  chil- 
dren, of  whom  John  appears  to  hav(>  been  the  youngest.' 
By  the  first  of  August,  1(584,  John  Barclay  was  back 
once  more  in  New  Jersey,  living  at  Elizabethtown, 
whence  he  removed  to  Plain fi(^ld,  and  fiiuiUy  settled  at 
Perth  Amboy.'-  About  1()85  he  married  a  lady  whose 
name  alone  is  sufficient  evid(»nce  of  her  descent.  She 
was  Cornelia  Van  Schaick  ■' — a  member,  it  would  soem, 
of  the  extensive  Van  Schaick  family  of  Albany. 

1  Gen.  Acct.  of  tlie  Barclays  ol"    Wliitchead's  Con,  to  Hist,  of  Perth 
Uric.     London,  1812.  Aniboy,  p.  42. 

13  N.  J.  Arch.,  Vol.  I,  pp.  446,  459 ;        -i  Holgate's  ^Viuer.  Gen.,  p.  129. 


I 


EAHLIER  YEARS 


ko  of 
m  by 
iov  to 
Imvos 
ig  set 
,s  sold 
ly  as- 
iiostly 
York, 
_u;i'ant. 
lai'l  of 
arclay 
nor  of 
raiiii.s- 
'ad  his 
10  over 
ir  from 

John 
lIoii  by 
11  East 
wonty- 
aiiuary 

0  eliil- 
.iigcst.' 
lis  back 
litown, 

tied  at 

wlioso 
She 
lI  seem, 

of  Perth 
p.  1:29. 


Ill  April,  1002,  John  Faiv^lay  was  appointed  surveyor- 
general  of  East  Jersey,  and  later  on  became  deputy 
secretary  and  register,  clerk  of  the  council,  clerk  of 
the  courts,  and  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Assembly.' 
He  was  not  in  favor  during  Lord  Cornbury's  turbulent 
administration;  and  being  in  fact  in  violent  opposition, 
was  denounced  in  1702  as  one  "of  the  Scotch  and 
Quakcn- ffactions  concerned  sundry  years  in  y''  divisions, 
(fe  inc(!ndiary  Parties,  that  has  brought  these  Provinces 
into  such  Confusion  of  Governm',  Injustice  to  y"  Pro- 
prietors, and  aversion  to  y"  Planters  and  Inhabitants."" 
In  later  years,  and  with  a  change  of  administration,  ho 
came  to  be  on  better  terms  with  the  colonial  authori- 
ties; and  he  died  in  the  spring  of  17131,  fully  seventy 
years  of  age,  generally  respected  and  with  the  character 
of  a  good  neighbor  and  a  useful  citizen.'' 

As  we  have  seen,  John  Barclay  was  described  as  a 
Quaker  in  1702.  In  point  of  fact  he  had  by  that  time 
come  over  to  the  Church  of  England,  being  chiefly  in- 
duced to  that  step  by  the  influence  of  a  very  remark- 
able man — George  Keith  —  who  had  himself  been  bred 
a  Quaker,  but  had  been  united  with  the  English  Church, 
and,  having  taken  orders,  had  been  sent  out  to  America 
by  the  Society'-  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  In 
1718  John  Barclay  was  named  as  one  of  the  church- 
wardens in  the  charter  granted  for  St.  Peter's  Church 
in  Perth  Amboy,  and  he  contributed  liberally  toward 
the  erection  of  the  church  edifice.^ 

Before  the  establishment  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  ser- 


IN.  J.  Arch.,  Vol.  II,  p.  81;  Vol. 
XIII,  pp.  1200,  L>'J7. 12(32,  vte. ;  Whitu- 
hetura  Con.  to  Hist,  of  Perth  Aui- 
boy,  p.  42. 

'■i  N.  J.  Arch., Vol.  II,  p.  487. 


'^  Smith's  Hist,  of  N.  .1.,  p.  424. 

■iWinteheiul's  Coii.  to  Hist.  Porth 
Amboy, pp.  21, 211,  218;  Chim-hmau's 
MiiR..  Vol.  VIH, !).;!;")(!;  Keith's  .lour., 
in  i'rot.  Epis.  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  I. 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   PARCU.AY 


vicos  were  oecasioiuilly  held  at  Perth  Aniboy  l)y  an 
Enfjjlish  clergyman,  who  was  expected  to  iniuist(;r  to  the 
whole  region  from  Elizabetlitown  to  Frec^hold.  The  Rev. 
Thorowgood  Mooro  had  attemi)ted  for  a  while  to  per- 
form that  somewhat  extensive  duty;  but  in  August, 
1707,  his  plain-speaking  having  offended  drunken  Lord 
Cornbury,  he  was  thrown  into  prison,  but  escaped 
thence  to  Boston,  and  sailing  for  England,  was  lost  at 
sea.  Now  this  Mr.  Moore,  before  coming  to  Pertli  Ani- 
boy, had  been  a  missionary  at  Albany  and  among  the 
Indians,  and  we  may  well  suppose  that  he  did  not  fail, 
when  he  found  a  likely  young  man  with  a  vocation  for 
the  ministry,  to  urge  the  noble  work  that  might  be  done 
on  the  wild  frontier  about  the  head  watei's  of  the  Hud- 
son River.  Whether  Mr.  Moore  did,  indeed,  lind  such 
a  young  man  at  Perth  Amboy,  and  whether  he  did  in- 
fluence the  course  of  his  career,  must  remain  a  conjec- 
ture ;  but  certain  it  is  that  Thomas  Barclay,  a  son  of 
John  Barclay,  went  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  to 
England,  took  orders,  and  was  in  due  time  sent,  in  his 
turn,  by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel, 
as  missionary  at  Albany  and  among  the  Indians.  He 
seems  to  have  reached  Albany  in  1707,  or  1708,  and 
there  we  find  him  zealously  laboring  in  September, 
1710. '  He  had  been  there  for  some  months,  catechiz- 
ing the  youth,  teaching  Dutch  children  to  make  their 
responses  in  the  English  tongue,  marrying  and  l)aptiz- 
ing  in  the  absence  of  a  Dutch  minister,  performing  the 
Church  of  England  services  both  in  English  and  Dutch, 
shunning  all  controversies,  and  preaching  once  a  month 
at  Schenectady  —  "a  village  situated  upon  a  pleasant 
river" — where  there  were  about  sixteen  English  and 

1  Doe.  Hist,  of  N.  ¥.,  V       Til.  p.  r)4(). 
See,  also,  Hill's  Hist,  of  tlie  Church  in  liurliugtoii,  N.  J.,  pp.  04-90. 


EARLIER  YEARS 


y  an 

0  the 
Rev. 

I    1)01'- 

igiist, 

Lord 

t',ax)ed 

ost  at 

1  Am- 
lo;  the 
)t  fail, 
on  for 
e  done 
i  Hud- 
l  such 
did  in- 
3onjec- 
son  of 
tury  to 

in  his 
-ospel, 

.  He 
)H,  and 
ember, 
techiz- 
e  their 
]  laptiz- 
in^-  the 
Dutch, 

month 
leasant 

sh  and 

G4-90. 


QUO  hundred  Dutcli  families;  in  short,  a  very  busy, 
earnest, sensible  youni?  man.  "More of  the  Dutch," he 
writes,  "  would  accept  my  ministry  Imt  that  Mr.  Do  Bois, 
minister  of  tlu^  Dutch  Conc^rccjation  of  New- York,  comes 
sometimes  to  Albany.  He  is  a  hot  man,  and  .an  enemy 
to  our  Church,  but  a  friend  to  his  purse,  for  he  has 
larjife  contributions  from  this  place."  There  was  at 
that  time  no  ministm*  of  any  church  north  of  New- 
York  but  Ml'.  Barclay,  for  the  former  Dutch  ministers 
at  Albany  and  Schenectady  had  died  or  moved  away. 
The  Dut(!]i  had  converted  some  thirty  Indians,  who 
were  comtnunicants,  "but  so  i<j:norant  and  scandalous 
that  they  can  scarce  be  reputed  Christians."  The  neigli- 
borinfji:  Indians  were  well  disposed  to  receive  missiona- 
ries, but — writes  Mr.  Barclay — "  I  am  sorry  to  toll  you, 
sir,  that  I  am  afraid  the  missionaries  that  are  coming 
over  will  find  hard  work  of  it,  and  if  the  commander  of 
that  fort  [  Fort  Hunter,  at  the  lower  Mohawk  castle]  be 
not  a  person  of  singular  piety  and  virtue,  all  their  endea- 
vors will  be  ineffectual;  those,  here,  that  trade  with  them, 
are  loth  that  any  religion  get  any  footing  among  them ; 
besides,  these  savages  are  so  given  to  drinking  of  that 
nasty  liquor  rum,  that  they  are  lost  to  all  that  is  good." 
In  1714  tho  Governor  granted  a  patent  for  building 
an  English  church  in  Albany,  named,  like  the  church 
at  Perth  Amboy,  St.  Peter's,  and  Thomas  Barclay  was 
appointed  its  first  rector ' — the  services  having  thereto- 
fore lieen  held  in  the  fort — and  in  Albany  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  was  passed.  We  read,  however,  that  he 
was  for  a  short  time  in  New- York,  and  assisted  in  the 
services  of  Trinity  Church.  -  He  died  at  Albany  in  the 
early  part  of  the  year  17*22. 

1  Doc.  Kel.  Col.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  VI,  p.  88. 
'-'  Berrian's  Hist.  Sketch  of  Trinity  Chm-cli,  p.  34. 

lA 


()  COHIJKSl'ONDKNCE   OF  THOMAS   HAKCIiAY 

Soon  iiftor  Rottlin^  in  Albany  he  nian-icd  Anna 
Dorotlu^'i  Dmoyor,  or  Drauyju",  (laujj^htor  of  Andru^s 
Dnicyor  aii<l  ^}(!rritjo,  liis  wit'o — wlio  was,  in  turn,  a 
(lauL?ht(n'  of  (loosen  (lorritso  Van  Sdiaick,  of  Albany,' 
and  j)rol)a))ly  a  relative  of  John  Barclay's  wife.  Of 
this  narriaj^e  there  wore  born  three  sons  —  Thomas, 
Antlic  ly,  and  Henry,  Thomas  die<l  nnmarricMl.  An- 
tliony  married  Ilt^lena  Roosevelt,  became  a  merchant 
near  New- York,  and  left  many  (U^scendants,  with  whom, 
however,  wo  liave  here  no  immediate  concern. 


Henky  Barclay  was  born  at  Albany,  probably  about 
1712,  was  entfU'ed  at  Yale  College,  and  gra,<lunted  .at 
the  head  of  his  class  in  17.'U.  Returning  to  Albany, 
he  was  appointed,  in  17.')5,  catechist  to  i\w  JMohawk  In- 
dians, in  wliom  ho  seems  at  all  times  to  have  taken  the 
liveliest  interest.  In  later  years  ho  made  some  prog- 
ress toward  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  into  the  Indian  language.  -  With  youthful  en- 
tlmsiasm,  he  took  a  far  more  hopc^ful  view  of  the  possi- 
bility of  effecting  permanent  results  than  his  father  had 
done.  He  believed  the  [)rospect  of  converting  the  In- 
dians was  "  truly  great,"  and  he  reported  that  he  found 
them  desii'ous  of  instruction.  In  1737  he  was  recom- 
mended to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gos- 
pel as  a  person  of  good  morals  and  learning,  who  had 
many  years  applied  himself  with  great  diligence  to 
learn  the  Indian  language,  and  had  made  such  progress 
as  actually  to  instruct  and  catechize  them  in  the  Mo- 
hawk tongue.  The  soci(;ty  sent  for  him  to  England, 
and  there,  at  the  end  of  1737,  or  beginning  of  1738,  he 

1  llolgatc's  Amcr.  Gen.,  p.  14;"). 

'•i  Doc.  Kel.  Col,  Hist.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  VFII,  pp.  Sl.VSlT;  Doc.  Hist,  of  N,  Y,, 
Vol,  IV,  pp.  20G-217;  Dextor's  Yale  Bioy,  Kec,  p.  503, 


1^ 


Anna 
i(lr"u!S 
ini,  a 
)anv,' 
3.  Of 
oinas, 
An- 
•chaut 


about 
I  tod  at 
Jbaiiy, 
Avk  lii- 
voii  tho 
0  prog- 
onmioii 

iflll  011- 

0  possi- 
hcr  had 
tho  Iii- 
0  found 
recoiu- 
lio  Gos- 
lio  had 
once  to 
)rogress 
he  Mo- 
ngland, 
|1738,  he 

of  N.  Y., 


EAULIRR  YEARS  7 

was  ordained.'  Rotnrning  to  Albany,  ho  vosnniod  liis 
pious  lal)ors  among  tlu^  Indians,  and  snccooch'd  to  his 
fatlior's  euro  as  rector  of  St.  IN'tt'r's.  \V«'  (in<l  him  writ- 
ing on  Novond)or  10,  ]1'.\H,  still  ho])oful,  that  there  g-ow 
a  daily  reformation  among  tli«s  J\rolin\vks,  and  an  in- 
crease of  virtue  proportionable  to  their  knowledge. 

These  rosy  views  and  cheerful  labors  wore  destined 
to  be  soon  ended,  (^n  him,  too,  foil  the  evils  caused  by 
th(i  wickedness  of  Frederick  of  Prussia;  and  when  the 
whole  world  sj)rang  to  arms  at  Frederick's  signal,  and 
red  men  scalptMl  each  other  by  the  great  lakes  of  North 
America,  that  Frederick  might  rob  a  neighbor  whom 
he  had  ]>romised  to  defend,  the  (piiet  missionary  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mohawk  found  that  his  dreams  of  hidian 
reformation  and  vii'tue  wei'o  over.  The  Indians  of  the 
Six  Nati<uis  had  been  temporarily  (juic^ted  by  the  treaty 
held  by  Governor  Clinton  at  Albany  in  tho  early  sum- 
mer of  1744;  but  by  1745  northern  New-York  was 
aHamo,  and  the  French  and  In<lians  ravaged  the  coun- 
try as  far  south  as  Saratoga.  In  174G  Albany  had  Ix^- 
come  the  headquarters  of  a  considtn-ablo  army,  and  tho 
Mohawks  h^ft  their  schools  to  enlist  under  the  gentle 
influences  of  Sir  William  Johnson. 

Such  were  the  depressing  surroundings  at  Albany 
when,  on  July  11,  1740,  the  Rev.  William  Vesoy — for 
fifty  years  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church  in  New- York  — 
finished  his  earthly  course.  "  He  had,"  wrote  the  ves- 
try, "  the  inward  pleasure  of  leaving  in  peace  and  good 
order  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  Churches  in  Amer- 

1  Tho  Bishop  of  Loiuloji,  writing  have  had  witli  him,  ho  seoms  ii  truly 

to  Dr.  Johnson.  February  ;i,  17()7-H,  valuable  man,  and  to  have  both  a])il- 

says  of  liini :  "  As  this  coiiu's  l)y  ]\rr.  ity    and    disposition    to    do    much 

Barclay,  I  need  not  say  anything;  of  j^'ood."  —  ('liurclnnan's      Majjazino, 

what  has  boon  done  hero  wit  li  reRiird  Vol.  VII  ( IHIO).  p.  311. 
to  him.     By  all  tho  convorsation  I 


« 


f 


8  CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 

ica,  with  a  coiisi(loi'a))le  eongref^ation,  wlio,  almost  with 
Olio  voi(;o,  luuiKid  th(5  Kcv.  Mr.  Bar(!lay  to  suoccGd  Mr. 
Vesey  as  Roc^tor."  Tlioy  would  not,  they  added,  have 
presumed  to  <'all  him  from  his  labors  in  the  service  of 
the  Society  for  the  Propaj?ation  of  the  Gospel,  had 
they  not  been  "  well  satisfied  that,  since  the  war  with 
France  ho  had  met  with  insupportable!  discouragement, 
which  rendered  his  mission  and  best  endeavours  fruit- 
less, as  well  as  the  safety  of  his  person  precarious 
among  those  savages  in  the  Mohawks'  Countiy  which, 
with  many  other  parts  of  the  (.ounty  of  Albany,  being 
the  frontiers  of  the  province,  is  now  deserted  by  the 
Christian  Inhabitants,  and  almost  laid  waste  by  Bar- 
barians and  French."  The  call  was  not  declined.  On 
October  17,  174G,  Mr.  Barclay  attended  a  meeting  of 
the  vestry,  and  formally  accepted ;  and  on  the  22d  of 
the  same  month,  by  authority  of  the  Governor,  he  was 
inducted  into  the  church  with  no  lack  of  formal  cere- 
monial.' The  society  which  he  had  so  zealously  served 
very  highly  approved  of  his  action  under  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case ;  but  wrote  requesting  him  to  con- 
tinue the  Mohawk  Indians  under  his  care,  as  far  as 
was  consistent  with  his  care  of  Trinity  Church.  The 
temptation  to  read  the  society  a  lecture  on  geography 
must  have  been  great,  but  Mr.  Barclay  successfully 
resisted  it,  and  gravely  replied  that  he  feared  no  mis- 
sionary could  reside  among  the  Indians  while  the  war 
should  continue ;  that  if  he  had  had  the  least  prosj)ect 
of  doing  so  himself,  he  would  not  have  laid  down  his 
employment ;  and  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to 
keep  alive  and  cherish  that  good  seed  which  he  had  so 
happily  sown  among  them. 
Mr.  Barclay  had  not  only  come  by  ecclesiastical  pre- 

1  Berrian's  Hist.  Sketch  of  Trinity  Church,  pp.  68-7G. 


« 


EARLIER  YEARS 


9 


with 

I  Mv. 

have 
ice  of 
,  had 
with 
ineiit, 
t'ruit- 
U'itms 
vhich, 
being 
by  the 
y  Bar- 
l.    On 
ing  of 
22d  of 
lie  was 

II  (;ere- 
served 
ircum- 
;o  con- 

fav  as 
.    The 
^raphy 
'ssfully 
ho  niis- 
llie  war 
L'ospect 
iwn  his 
wer  to 
had  so 

ml  pre- 


ferment, but  his  removal  to  New-York  led  him  to  a 
very  prudent  and  fortunate  marriage.  In  1749  he  mar- 
ried Mary,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Anthony  Rutgers 
—  a  rich  brewer,  whos(s  (hsath  had  occurred  about  the 
time  of  Mr.  Barclay's  call  to  Trinity  Church.'  Mr. 
llutgers  liad  mar'j"d  the  widow  of  Robert  Benson  — 
Cornelia  dc;  Roos,  her  maiden  uimui — and  left  sons  and 
daughters  of  unmixed  Dutch  descent,  who,  in  their 
turn,  multiplied  plentifully.  Mrs.  Rutgers,  by  her  lirst 
husband,  had  throe  children ;  and  of  one  of  her  grand- 
children, Egl)ert  Benson,  we  shall  hear  later  on. 

Of  the  marriage  betw(?en  Henry  Barclay  and  Mary 
Rutgers — she  pure  Dutch,  he  one-fourth  Scotch  and 
three-fourths  Dutch — there  were  born  five  children: 
Thomas,  or  Thomas  H.  Barclay,  the  eldest  son,  with 
whom  we  are  here  chiefly  concerned;  Anthony,  who 
became  a  farmer  at  Newtown,  L.  I.;  Catharine,  who 
died  young  and  unmarried;  Cornelia,  who  married 
Stephen  De  Laneey ;  and  Anna  Dorothea,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Beverly  Robinson. 

Henry  Barclay's  incumbency  of  Trinity  Church 
seems  to  have  been  prosperous  and  peaceful.  The 
growth  of  his  congregation  soon  made  it  necessary 
to  found  a  chapel  of  ease,  and  St.  George's  was  estab- 
lished, to  become  in  time  a  strong  and  independent 
parish.  The  New-York  Society  Library  was  founded, 
and  Mr.  Barclay  was  name  as  one  of  its  first  trustees. 
And  in  1754  the  long-cherished  wish  of  many  in  New- 
York  was  realized  by  the  granting  of  a  royal  charter 
for  the  founding  of  King's  College — under  the  terms 
of  which  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church  was  to  be  always 
e.c  officio  one  of  the  governors.    Columbia  College  to- 

1  His  will  is  dated  August  2,  174G,  and  was  proved  in  New-York, 
September  17,  174G. 


*'^ 


.J 


f 


10 


COHUHSPONDKNCR  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


(lay  o\v(!S  much  of  its  pr()s)»(M'ity  to  tlic  vuluablo  ^niiit 
from  Trinity  Cliurcli  of  a  ti-  ict  of  land  —  tluMi  cstimutod 
to  bo  worth  t'llOOO,  uud  now  yielding  tlio  coUo^jfc^  up- 
ward of  ^1()(),()()()  a  year.  This  tract  was  conveyed  upon 
th(M'xpross  coiKJition  that  tho  prcsi<h'nt  of  tlio  oollogo 
should  forever  1)0  a  memlun'of  and  in  communion  with 
the  ('hurch  of  l<i!i<j:land,  and  that  th(^  inornin<j:  and 
evening  servic(!  should  1»(^  in  the  liturji^y  of  that  church. 
The  sani«5  0(>n<Htion  was  in  substance  embodied  in  the 
chai'ter,  but  this  concession  was  oidy  ^ain(^<l  by  tho 
Church  party  after  violent  discussions,  which  ijjavo  rise 
to  much  aji<i^ry  del)ate  in  public  and  nuich  anxious 
thought  i.i  tlu^  Trinity  vestry.  Tin;  Presbyterians,  un- 
der the  lead  of  William  Livin<?ston,  were  earnest  in 
tlu'ir  opposition.  The  founding?  of  a  colh^ji^o  under 
such  sectarian  influences  was,  tlu^y  -n-ied,  but  the  en- 
terinji:  wed}2:e  for  bis]ioi)S  and  tithes,  ai\d  would  surely 
end  in  the  loss  of  religious  freedom,  "and  even  in  per- 
secution itself."  For  a  time  the  issue  seemed  in  doubt; 
l)ut  the  E))iscopalians  remained  tirin  and  carried  thoir 
point,  and  there  is  am])le  evidence  that  Mr.  Barclay  was 
a  most  active  mover  in  the  V)usiness,  and  steadfast  to 
see  that  "  a  gift  so  valuable  in  itself,  and  so  absolutely 
necessary,"  should  "be  a  means  of  obtaining  some 
priviledges  to  the  Church." ' 

His  zeal  and  diligence  were  rewarded  by  the  honor 
of  a  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  conferred  by  the 
University  of  Oxford  about  January  1, 17(11,  at  the  per- 
sonal solicitation  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury .- 


1  Porrian's  Hist.  Sketch  of  Trin- 
ity Chiireli,  pp.  77,  101-105;  Doc. 
Rel.  Col.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  VI,  pp. 
912-14.;  Jones's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  Vol. 
I,  i)p.  10-17;  Boai'ilsloy's  Lifo  and 
Corr.  of  Samuel  JoLuson,  p.  195. 


2  Tlic  letter  from  Archbishop 
Seeker  to  tho  vice-chancellor  of  the 
University  has  been  preserved.  It 
is  dated  November  22,  1760. 

After  discussing  the  advantages  to 
tho  cause  of  religion  in  tho  colonies 


m 


■\ 


KAHLIKK   YKAU8 


11 


[clibishop 
lor  of  the 
Irved.     It 

Itntagos  to 
colonies 


Dr.  Burehiy  «11(1  not  livn  hm^  to  oujoy  liis  academic 
lioiiors.  On  Anjj:nst  *J(),  17(>4,  lie  di'partiMl  tliis  life,  hc- 
lovod  and  rcspoctcd,  h^uvin;^  his  wife  a'ld  four  children 


survivin*^. 


"Last  iMonday'inorninu:,"  says  tlic  Nrir-)'(n'/:  Mrr- 
rnrff,  of  Auj^ust  *J;{,  17(14,  "hctwcon  three  and  foui' 
o'  (Hock,  departed  this  Life,  in  tiie 511(1  Year  of  his  Aj'c, 
th(i  rev  "end  Honry  Baiclay,  D.  I).  Kector  of  Trinity 
Ohurcli;  i!i  tliisCJity,  and  on  the  TuL'S(hiy  foHowinj;",  his 
Remains,  atten<lo<l  hy  the  Clcrfxy  of  the  several  De- 
nominations, the  (lentlomen  and  (yliief  Inhabitants  of 
the  (Jity,  preceded  by  the  ('harity  Scholars,  who  snn^'  a 
Psalin,  snitabhi  to  the  mehuwholy  Occasion,  dni'in^  the 
Procession,  were  carried  to  Trinity  (/hnrch,  where  an  ex- 
cellent Funeral  Sermon,  from  Rev.  14,  K!,  was  pn-ached, 
by  the  liev.  Mi'.  Achniuty,  to  a  prodigious  large  Audi- 


from  conforring  tho  doctor's  <lef,'r(>o 
upon  HoiiK'  "f  tlu«  iiriiH'ijml  clergy  in 
thoH(^  I'lirts,  the  Archbishop  prefers 
his  recpiest  that  that  conipliineiit  bo 
paid  to  Mr.  liarday,  and  continues: 
"  It  appears  from  the  journals  of  tlie 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
tSospel,  that  Mr.  Harday  is  the  Hon 
of  a  Missionary  of  that  Society  to 
the  Indians  on  the  frontiers  of  New 
York ;  that  he  was  educated  under 
Dr.  Johnson  at  Now  Haven  College; 
that  in  173')  ho  was  appointed  by  the 
Society  (Jatechist  to  tiio  Mohock  In- 
dians, and  in  1737  ordained  priest, 
and  settled  as  a  missionary  among 
them ;  on  which  occasions  the  fulles' 
testimonials  were  given  in  his  favt 
by  persons  of  the  first  rank  and  char- 
acter, Clergy  &  Laity ;  that  having 
learnt  the  language  of  these  Indians, 
he  preached  to  them  in  it  with  such 
success  as  to  form  out  of  them  a 


Cliristian  Congregation  of  ijOO  i»er- 
sons,  (il  of  wlioni,  in  all  appearance 
were  worthy  (/onimunicants;  that  he 
continued  in  tliis  station  till  the  year 
174;"),  when  the  French  Indians,  fall- 
ing on  the  Mohocks,  obliged  him  to 
retire  f-ir  the  safety  of  his  pi'rson ; 
that  in  1 74(i  he  was  chosen  Kectov  of 
Trinity  Church,  vacant  by  the  death 
of  Mr.  Commissary  Vesey,  and  hatli 
continued  there  ever  since.  Dr. 
Johnson  saith  further,  that  he  is  a 
prudent  and  laborious  man,  iin  ac- 
complished divine  and  an  I'.xcellent 
preaciier."  On  January  120,  17G1,  the 
Archbishop  writes  to  Dr.  Johnson  an- 
nouncing that  the  degree  had  been 
unanimously  conferred  on  Mr.  liar- 
clay,  and  offering  his  congratulations 
on  this  well-deserved  compliment. 
Dr.  Johnson  was  then  President  of 
King's  College.  See  Doc.  Rel.  Col. 
Hist.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  VII,  pp.  451,  4r)4. 


i 


f 


12 


■""ORRRSrONDENrK   OK   THOMAS    HARCLAY 


enco,  \Yho  wore  oxtroinoly  affoctcd  witli  tlio  pathetic  an<l 
inovinii:  Muiinor,  in  wliicli  tliey  wore  addrossed." 

Dr.  Barclay's  will  boars  date  Juno  1!),  17(54.  Ho  bo- 
quoaths  his  Itooks  in  Eiii^lish  to  his  oldest  son  Thomas; 
his  books  in  Dutcli  and  othor  porsoiud  oft'octs  to  his 
wif(>;  and  tho  rosicbio  of  his  estate  lio  jjjives,  one-third 
to  his  wife  and  the  other  two-thirds  to  be  equally  di- 
vided among"  his  four  surviving  chihb'on.  Tie  apjunnts 
as  his  executors  his  wife  Mary  Barclay,  his  brother 
Andrew  Barclay,  liis  brother-in-law  Leonard  Lispen- 
ard,  and  his  friend  David  Clarkson. 


Thomas  Barclay  was  not  quite  eleven  years  old  when 
that  moving  funeral  sermon  was  preached  before  the 
"  prodigious  large  Audience,"  and  the  legacy  of  books 
in  English  came  to  rim.  No  record  remains  to  show 
what  store  he  set  by  his  books,  or  liow  he  was  taught, 
or  where  lie  went  to  school.  One  may  easily  picture 
him  growing  up  in  tho  little  provincial  town  in  the 
early  days  when  George  i\u)  Third  was  King;  and  one 
likes  to  think  of  his  widowed  mother  encouraging  him 
in  a  constant  spirit  of  loyalty  to  his  father's  memory, 
and  to  the  church  and  state  of  which  his  father  had 
been  in  a  manner  the  otHcial  representative.  No  doubt 
the  boy,  with  the  profound  and  assured  conviction  of 
youth,  believed  his  father  to  have  been  the  finest 
preacher  in  all  the  colonies,  the  Church  of  England  the 
embodiment  of  all  spiritual  truth,  the  young  King  the 
ablest  and  best  of  rulers,  and  the  system  of  govei-n- 
ment  administered  by  Cadwallader  Golden  the  perfec- 
tion of  human  reason.  One  form  of  education  was 
certaiidy  not  lacking.  The  divine  right  of  kings  and  the 
rights  of  the  people  must  have  been  debated  in  every 
boy's  hearing  often  enough  in  the  stirring  days  when  the 


J' 


EAHLIER   YRARS 


13 


c  and 

[o  ho,- 
^111  as; 
to  his 
-third 
Hy  (li- 

JKUlliS 

rothor 
lispen- 


l  wlien 
>re  tho 
books 
>  show 
taug:ht, 
picture 
in  the 
lid  one 
ng  him 
oniory, 
or  had 
doubt 
tion  of 
finest 
uid  the 
ling  the 
[vovern- 
l>orfec- 
>n  was 
Liid  the 
every 
lien  the 


4 


Stamp  Act  Congress  was  sitting  in  New-York,  and  tho 
province  was  pointing  the  way  to  independence. 

In  17()S  Thomas  liarchiy,  not  (juite  fifteen  years  old, 
was  entered  at  King's  College.  His  father,  his  uncle 
Leonard  Lispenard,  and  his  father's  friend  David 
Clackson  v  ere  among  the  original  governors  of  the 
college.  Tlie  two  latter  were  still  sitting  in  the  board, 
and  ijispenard  was  its  treasnrei'.  !)r„  IVIyies  Cooper, 
late  a  fellow  of  Queen's  College,  Oxford  —  a  jolly,  con- 
vivial gentleman,  and  an  eager  supporter  of  the  royal 
authority — was  president;  Dr.  Clossy,  of  Dublin,  and 
]\Ir.  llarpur,  from  (Uasgow,  composed  the  remainder'  of 
the  faculty;  but  the  classes  were  small  as  yet,  and  the 
instrnctors  were  thus  "enabled  to  extend  theii-  plan  of 
education  almost  as  diffusely  as  any  college  in  Europe." 
Diffuse  was  indeed  the  worth  An  ai (palling  list  of 
studies  remains,  drawn  U])  by  Dr.  Cooper;  and  we  find 
divinity,  natural  law,  and  Hebrew  taking  their  place 
with  Latin,  (Jreek,  and  mathematics,  and  "  whatever 
else  of  literature  may  tend  to  act'omplish  the  pupils  as 
scholars  and  gentlemen."  To  judge  by  results,  tlu^  col- 
lege system  worktul  well.  The  best  peo])le  in  the  place 
sent  their  sons,  and  the  graduates  were  in  good  truth 
"scholars  and  gentlemen."  Richard  Harison,  »Iolin 
Jay,  Egbert  Benson,  Robert  R.  Ijivingston,  ,Iohn  Watts, 
and  (louverneur  Morris  were  among  tlie  most  recent 
alumni.  In  the  list  of  those  who  were  fellow-students 
with  Thomas  Barclay  we  find  tlu^  names  of  Pell, 
Knox,  King,  Ogdeii,  Bogert,  IMiilipse,  i\uchmuty,  Rob- 
inson, Jauncey,  Nicoll,  Rapelje,  Troup,  Renisen,  juid 
Livingston — familiar  to  every  student  of  tho  local 
history  of  New-York. 

The  college  influence  was  of  course  in  a  direction 
favorable  to  the  crown.    While  the  College  of  Now  Jer- 


•A^!" 


1  .r" 

If 


14 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAR   BARCLAY 


sey  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Presbyterians  and  the  col- 
lege at  New  Haven  was  reckoned  "  a  nurseiy  of  sedi- 
tion, of  faction  and  of  republicanism," '  King's  College 
was  under  the  shadow  of  the  Church,  and  governed  by 
a  board  which  included  not  only  the  principal  oflficers 
of  the  pro\ince,  but  such  earnest  Loyalists  as  John 
Watts  the  elder,  Frederick  Philipse,  Oliver  and  James 
De  Lancey,  Charles  Wai'd  Apthorpe,  Thomas  Jones, 
Jacob  Walton,  and  John  Harris  Cruger.  Indeed,  of  the 
college  graduates  down  to  177C  a  greater  number  were 
to  be  found  in  the  King's  troops  than  in  the  service  of 
the  Continental  Congress. 

In  the  spring  of  1772,  when  the  long-threatening  dis- 
content of  the  colonies  was  daily  gathering  force,  when 
Samuel  Adams  was  preaching  sedition  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  men  of  Rhode  Island  were  burning  the 
Gdspcc,  Thomas  Barclay  was  graduated.  The  com- 
mencement was  held  at  Trinity  Cliurch  on  Tuesday, 
May  19th,  in  the  presence  of  "  a  numerous  and  respect- 
able Audience,"  which  included  Governor  Tryon  and 
General  Gage.  After  prayers,  and  "an  elegant  Latin 
Oration  "  by  Rev.  Mi*.  Inglis,  Mr.  Ogden  delivered  the 
salutatory  oration  "  with  great  propriety  of  Pronunci- 
ation and  gracefulness  of  Gesture."  The  audience  was 
next  agreeably  entertained  by  Mr.  Bowden,  "  whose 
elegant  Composition  and  animated  delivery  did  him 
much  Honour."  Then  Mr.  Skene  "discovered  much 
Brilliancy  of  Fancy  and  Refined  Taste  " ;  Mr.  Winter- 
ton  and  Mr.  Muirson  maintained  a  "Forensic  Dispute " ; 
Mr.  King  "gain'd  much  Apphiuse  by  an  animated 
Latin  Oration";  and  Mr.  Roebuck  made  fun  of  the 
"  Bold  Hypotlies<'s  of  Presumptuous  Philosophers  and 
the  Ridiculous  consequences  of  Confidence  and  Dog- 

1  Jouos's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  Vol.  I,  p.  3. 


i 


•*f. 


EARLIER  YEARS 


15 


)  col- 

sedi- 
)llege 
3d  by 
ficers 
John 
[allies 
Foiies, 
of  tbe 
•  were 
dee  of 

iig  dis- 
,  when 
,sachn- 
ug  the 
e  com- 
lesday, 
•espect- 
lon  and 
Latin 
ed  the 
)nunci- 
loe  was 
'  whose 
id  him 
[l  much 
rVinter- 
pute  " ; 
limated 
of  the 
ei's  and 
d  Dog- 


inatism"  in  a  manner  which  "occasioned  much  mirth." 
The  degrees  having  been  conforred,  "  the  Exercises  of 
the  Day  were  then  conchided  with  a  very  sensible  Vale- 
dictory Oration  on  Sociability  by  Mr.  Barclay,  whose 
judicious  Observations  and  modest  Address  gave  him 
universal  Approbation.  The  Attention,"  adds  the  hon- 
est reporter,  "  paid  by  the  Audience  and  the  Satisfacticm 
they  expressed  during  the  Course  of  the  Exercises  did 
much  Honour  to  themselves,  and  the  Speakers;  and  must 
give  i^leasure  to  every  Lover  of  Literature,  and  every 
true  Patriot,  who  wishes  to  see  the  Scici.ces  dissemi- 
nated and  widely  flourishing  in  this  happy  country."' 
Barclay  made  choice  of  the  law  for  his  profession, 
and  it  is  the  tradition  of  his  family  that  he  became  a 
student  in  the  office  of  John  Jay.  In  due  course  ho 
was  admitted  to  the  bar — probal)ly  about  1775,  when 
he  was  just  of  age.  It  was  not  a  favorabl(>  time  for  a 
young  lawyer  to  enter  upon  his  profession.  Even  in 
the  city  of  New- York,  distant  as  it  was  from  the  fields 
of  actual  conflict,  the  laws  were  silenced  in  the  clash  of 
arms.  The  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  brought 
turmoil  and  confusion.  The  Provincial  Congress  met 
(Leonard  Lispeiiard  and  David  Clarkson  among  them), 
and  began  raising  troops  and  fortifying  at  Kingsl)ridge 
and  along  the  Hudson.  Washington  passed  through 
Now- York  for  the  eastward,  sto[)ping  at  Lispenai'd's 
house.  Zealous  Dr.  Coojier,  roused  at  midnight  and 
huddling  on  a  few  of  his  clothes,  jumped  from  a  back 
window  of  King's  College  to  escape  a  party  bent  on 
shaving  his  head  and  cutting  off  his  ears;  and  never 
stopped  till  he  found  safety  in  a  snug  living  in  Eng- 
land. Grovernor  Tryon  withdrew  from  the  town  and 
prudently    took    refuge   upon   the   Asia,   inan-of-war, 

1  N.  Y.  Jour.,  May  28,  1772. 


I     I. 


16 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


ff 


where  he  transacted  all  his  business  and  held  his  coun- 
cils. The  courts  were  still  sitting,  but  no  business  of  a 
civil  nature  was  transacted  in  th(  a.  Open  outbreaks 
occurred  between  the  people  of  the  town  and  the  crews 
of  the  King's  ships,  and  on  August  24th  the  Asia  fired 
upon  the  city.  Early  in  September  one-third  of  the 
citizens  had  moved  away.  "  Every  office  shut  up 
almost,"  wrote  John  Morin  Hcott,  "  but  Sam  Jones's, 
who  will  work  for  6/  a  day  and  live  accordingly  —  All 
Business  stagnated,  the  City  half  deserted  for  fear  of  a 
Bombardment."  '  Surely  an  unfavorable  prospect  for 
our  young  attorney. 

But  dark  as  the  future  might  seem — and  it  doubtless 
appeared  darkest  to  those  who  believed  most  firmly  in 
the  courage  and  constancy  of  the  revolted  colonies — 
young  gentlemen  of  Tory  families  were  not  to  be  fright- 
ened away  from  assuming  new  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties. Marrying  and  giving  in  marriage  went  on,  al- 
though Montgomery  and  Arnold  were  marching  into 
Canada,  and  Washington  was  drilling  his  minute- 
men  under  the  elms  at  Cambridge.  Were  not  ships 
coming  across  the  sea  to  sot  the  world  right  once 
more  1  And  so,  on  October  2,  1775,  Thomas  Barclay 
and  Susan  Do  Lancey  were  married  at  West  Farms, 
near  New-York. - 


% 


■■& 


1  Lamb's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  VoL  II, 
pp.  21-49 ;  Jones's  Hist,  of  N.  Y., 
Vol.  I,  pp.  39-63. 

'-^  At  the  s.aiiie  time  Mrs.  Barclay's 
sister  Jane  was  married  to  John 
Watts,  the  Rocorder  of  New- York. 
The  double  marriage  was  thus  an- 
nounced in  RiviTigton's  Gazetteer: 

"This  evening  were  married  at. 
Union  Hill,  in  the  borough  of  West- 
chester, New- York,  John  Watts,  Ju- 


nior, Esq.,  recorder  of  New- York, 
to  Miss  Jane  Do  Lancey;  and  Thomas 
H.  Barclay,  Esq.,  to  Miss  Susanna 
De  Lancey,  daughters  &f  the  late  Pe- 
ter De  Lancey,  Es<i. 

'  Round  tlioir  nuptial  beds, 
Hovering  with  puriile  Winers,  tli'  Idnlian 

l)oy 
Shook  from  liis  radiant  torcli,  the  bliss- 
ful It  res 

Of  innocent  rtcairos, 
While  Venus  scattered  myrtles.' " 


EARLIER  YEARS 


17 


•oun- 
^of  a 
reaks 

;  lived 
)f  tlio 
it  up 
)ues's, 
—  All 
ir  of  a 
3ct  f  or 

Libtless 
mly  in 
mies — 
fright- 
.nsihili- 

on,  al- 
ng  into 
ninute- 
>t  ships 
it  once 
Barclay 

Farms, 


S'ew-York, 

1(1  Tliomas 

hi  Susanna 

jlie  late  Pc- 

luiitial  beds, 
Vth'  Iflalian 

[h,  the  bllas- 

los, 

Ilea.'  " 


It  was  a  singulai'ly  happy  union.  For  more  than  fifty 
years  this  luisl)and  and  wife  were  to  live  togetlier  in 
evil  fortune  and  in  good,  secure  in  a  most  earnest  and 
constant  affection.  Home  and  land  might  be  lost,  but 
from  early  youth  to  extreme  old  age  they  remained  true 
and  faithful  to  each  other.  In  the  dark  days  of  exile  no 
shadow  of  dissension  seems  ever  to  have  come  between 
them,  and  their  later  years  were  prosperous  a] id  happy. 

Susan  (or  Susanna)  De  Laiicey  was  the  fifth  daughter 
of  Peter  De  Lancoy,  and  one  of  eleven  children.  She 
was  born  September  15,  1755,  and  was  therefore  not 
quite  twenty  at  the  time  of  her  niamage.  Her  materiuil 
grandfather  was  Cadwallader  Colden,  the  sturdy  old 
Scotch  doctor  who,  as  Lieutenant-Gfovernor  of  the 
province,  had  so  long  contended  against  Stamp  xVct 
congresses  and  sullen  assemblies  and  turbulent  com- 
mittees of  safety,  and  who  was  now  living  retired  in  his 
new  house  at  Flushing.  Her  paternal  grandfather  was 
a  Huguenot  refugee  of  a  good  Norman  family,  who 
had  drifted  from  France  to  Holland,  from  Holland  to 
England,  and  from  England  to  New- York,  and  had 
here  married  a  Van  Cortlandt  of  the  old  Dutch  stock. 
The  family  is  famous  in  the  local  annals  of  New- York 
as  the  stanchest  supporter  of  the  royal  authority  and 
the  Church  of  England.  One  of  Susan  De  Lancey's 
uncles — James  De  Lancey — had  been  Chief  Justice  of 
the  province,  and  Coldeii's  predecessor  in  the  office  of 
Lieutenant-Governor.  Another  uncle — Oliver  De  Lan- 
cey— was  a  General  in  the  British  service.  A  cousin  — 
Stephen  De  Lancey — who  had  married  Cornelia  Bar- 
clay, was  a  Colonel  in  the  King's  troops;  and  their  eldest 
son  was  Wellington's  chief-of-staff  at  Waterloo,  where 
he  lost  his  life.  One  of  Mrs.  Barclay's  brothers— James 
De  Lancey — raised  a  loyal  regiment  in  Westchester 


• 


:     i 


18 


correspondkn(;k  or  tho.mas  hakclay 


Coimty.  Another  James,  a  cousin  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor's  son,  was  the  agent  for  the  LoyaHsts  in  Eng- 
hmd  after  the  peace,  and  so  lost  his  great  estate  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  of  New- York.  Oliver  De  Lancey,  the 
General's  sou,  succeeded  Andre  as  Adjutant-General  of 
the  British  forces,  and  died  a  Lieutenant-Genoral. 
With  few  exceptions,  the  men  of  the  family  were  stren- 
uous in  their  support  of  British  authority  to  the  very 
last,  and  died  in  exile;  but  one  or  two  of  them,  and 
notably  one  of  Mrs.  Barclay's  brothers,  courageously 
refused  to  take  arms  against  the  country  of  their  birth. 
The  city  of  New- York,  as  we  have  seen,  had  so 
clearly  become  an  undesirable  residence  for  profes- 
sional gentlemen,  that  our  young  married  couple  took 
up  their  abode  in  Ulster  County,  "at  the  Wallkill,"  near 
Coldenham,  in  what  is  now  a  part  of  Orange  County, 
where  grandfather  Colden  owned  large  tracts  of  land. 
But  Ulster  was  no  place  of  repose  for  Tories,  or  even 
for  those  who  were  willing  to  bo  neutral  in  the  great 
contest  just  beginning.  The  committees  of  safety  in 
the  various  (counties  were  not  content  with  anything 
short  of  open  and  luiqualitied  adherence  to  the  Con- 
tinental cause,  and  were  only  too  willing  to  find  oc- 
casions for  discovering  enemies  to  the  State.  The 
powers  of  these  committees  were  as  vague  as  they  were 
extensive,  and  were  often  exercised  harshly  and  un- 
justly. It  was  the  common  course  of  procedure  to 
summon  indivi<luals  who  were  suspected  of  a  leaning 
to  the  British  cause  and  to  tender  them  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  State,  or  the  "  general  association," 
which  included  a  pledge  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
King;  and  arrest,  imprisonment,  and  banishment  fol- 
lowed a  refusal.  To  speak  disrespectfully  of  the  Con- 
gress, or  to  refuse  to  take  Continental  money  at  par, 


if 


EARIJKH   YEARS 


1<) 


naiit- 
Eng- 
m  the 
y,  the 
ii'cil  of 
jiioral. 
stven- 
e  very 
n,  aiul 
;eously 
r  birth, 
had  so 
prot'es- 
ile  took 
U,"  near 
County, 
of  land, 
or  even 
he  great 
afety  in 
mything 
.he  Con- 
tind  00- 
e.      The 
ley  were 

and  un- 
edure  to 
X  leaning 

oath  of 
ociation," 
;ainst  the 
nient  fol- 

the  Con- 

sy  at  par, 


were  good  grounds  for  arrc^st.  All  who  were  not  known 
to  be  well  affected  beeame  objects  of  silly  suspicion ; 
and  nervous  people  imagined  consi)iracies  and  secret 
treachery  to  be  hatching  all  about  them,  and  worried 
and  bullied  thcnr  neighbors,  until  they  were  like  to 
drive  into  o})positiou  many  of  those  who  had  pre- 
viously been  not  vmy  unfavorable  to  Iho  cause  of  tlie 
colonies. 

In  the  rough  county  of  LTlster  we  nuiy  well  imagine 
that  the  farmers  and  woodmen  were  not  delicate  in 
dealing  with  suspected  Tories,  and  that  dissent  from 
the  views  of  the  majority — and  nnich  less  open  oppo- 
sition— was  intolerable  and  not  to  be  endured.  And  so 
in  the  year  177G,  when  tlu^  battle  of  Long  Island  was 
fought,  and  Sir  William  Howe  was  slowly  driving  the 
Americans  back  from  New- York,  Tlionuis  Barclay  laid 
his  law-books  aside,  sot  his  face  southward,  and  joined 
the  Bi'itish  ai'my  as  a  volunteer. 

For  tlie  next  seven  years  he  was  a  S(jldier,  and,  as 
we  shall  see,  a  very  active  and  efficient  one — march- 
ing and  fighting  in  New- York,  New  Jersey,  Connecti- 
cut, Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas.  On  April  10,  1777, 
being  twenty-three  years  old,  he  was  commissioned  a 
Captain  in  Beveily  Robinson's  Loyal  American  Regi- 
ment, and  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major  for 
gallant  service  at  the  taking  of  Forts  Clinton  and 
Montgomery.^ 

Beverly  Robinson,  his  Colouel,  was  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  and  a  son  of  John  Robinson,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  the  council,  and  Acting  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia in  1749  and  1750.  Beverly  Robinson's  wife  was 
Susannah  Pliilipse,  of  Yonkers  —  a  sister  of  (leueral 

1  His  commission  as  Major  bears  date  August  2,  177S ;  but  lie  is  to  rank 
from  October  7,  1777,  the  date  of  the  capture  of  the  forts. 


20 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


Washington's  Mary  Pliilipso, —  and  tliroiij^h  hov  Rob- 
inson liad  acquiivd  larjiijo  tracts  <>t'  land  ])ordcrin^  tho 
Hudson  River.  His  residence  opposite  West  Point 
ac(|uired  a  traj^ic  notoriety  as  the  headquarters  of 
Benedict  Arnold ;  aud,  inde(!d,  Colonel  Robinson  was 
himself  actively  concei'ned  in  events  of  Septcnnber, 
1780.  He  had  accompanied  Andre  on  that  disastrous 
journey  up  the  river,  and  from  the  ViiItHrr,  "otf  Sin- 
sink"  (Sin^  Sing),  ho  wrote  to  Washin*j;ton,  recalling 
their  early  friendship,  and  demanding  in  pc^-emptory 
fashion  Andre's  immediate  release.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  Colonel  Robinson  retii'cd  to  England, where  he  died. 

Tho  Lieutenant-Colonel  was  Beverly  Robinsor  Jr., 
the  Colonel's  son.  Ho  was  born  in  New- York  in  . . ');'), 
graduated  at  King's  College  in  1773,  and  returning  long 
after  tho  peace,  died  here  in  1810.  As  we  have  seen,  he 
had  married  a  sister  of  Thomas  Barclay. 

From  1776  to  the  late  summer  of  1781  Barclay  was 
constantly  employed  in  active  service.  The  long  period 
of  negotiation  followed,  to  be  terminated  in  the  spring 
of  1781)  by  the  announcement  of  the  ratiticatioii  of  the 
provisional  treaty  of  peace.  Tho  Loyalist  troops  were 
disbanded,  their  officers  were  placed  on  half  pay,  and 
the  wave  of  British  invasion  began  to  recede,  sweeping 
away  in  its  retreat  prodigious  numbers  of  American 
loyalists,  who  were  scattered  to  England,  to  Canada, 
to  Bermuda,  and  to  Nova  Scotia,  to  begin  life  again 
under  another  sky.  Tens  of  thousands  of  these  un- 
happy people  sailed  away  into  exile  during  this  year  of 
1783,  and  with  them  went  Thomas  Barclay,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  four  little  children  —  the  eldest 
not  seven  years  old. 

Under  the  act  of  the  New-York  Legislature  of  Octo- 
ber 22,  1779,  he  had  been  attainted  and  convicted  of 


EARLIER  YEARS 


21 


j  tlic 
*oiut 
•s  of 
was 
ubov, 

,tl'OUS 

[  Shi- 
alliiig 
iptory 
of  tlie 
(3  died, 
r    Jr., 
i  .  ..)•>, 
ig  long 
eeii,  be 


Liiy  was 
r  peviod 

spviug 

of  tlie 

ps  were 


'ay, 


and 


vv«3epiug 
mevicaii 
ICanada, 
'e  again 
liese  un- 
yeai"  of 
a(?com- 
le  eldest 

jof  Octo- 
Ucted  of 


I 

4 


hii^li  treason  ;  his  propcu'ty  was  declared  to  be  forfcnted 
to  and  vested  in  the  peo[)le  of  this  State;  ho  was  for- 
ever banished ;  and  it  was  provided  that  if  ho  shonld 
be  at  any  time  found  within  the  State,  ho  shouhl  be  de- 
clared guilty  of  felony  and  should  suffer  death  without 
benefit  of  clergy.  He  was  just  thirty  years  old  when 
New- York  was  evacuated,  and  except  his  half  pay  he 
had  little  left  but  a  sturdy  frani(>  and  a  stout  heart. 

Wi'iting  nine  years  lat(M-  to  his  friend  Brook  Watson, 
in  London,  he  thus  recounted  his  services  to  the  Brit- 
ish crown : ' 


TO    BROOK    WATSON. 

Anniipolis,  20"'  Oct^  1702. 

Dear  Sni:  f  have  now  some  Business  of  my  own  I  wish  to 
trouble  you  with,  and  I  have  no  doubt  of  sueeess  sliould  you 
tiiul  yourself  at  liberty  heartily  to  unite  with  two  or  three  of 
my  other  friends  in  lOngland.  It  has  only  wanted  a  person  of 
some  Interest  and  Activity  to  obtain  it  these  three  years,  for  I 
am  certain  if  the  facts  were  known  to  the  Minister  or  Lords  of 
the  treasury  it  would  not  lie  denied.  Of  your  wish  to  serve 
me  from  your  past  favors  iuid  Professions  I  can  and  have  no 
doubt, —  1  have  only  to  request  if  it  is  in  the  least  inconvenient 
or  militates  with  any  other  object  you  may  have  in  view,  you 
will  by  no  means  comply  with  my  recpiest. 

The  ai)plication  I  wish  my  friends  to  make  is  for  a  pension 
in  lieu  of  the  professioiuil  Loss  I  stand  reported  for  by  the  Am" 
Commissioiun-s  and  which  my  half  pay  by  the  act  of  Parlia- 

1  Brook  Will  son  bad  a  singular  Ho  bceame  a  leading  merchant  in 

and  adventurous  career.     Ho  was  of  London,  a  Member  of  Parliament, 

Jiumble  origin,  and  had  souglit  his  a  Baronet,  and  Lord  Mayor  of  Lon- 

fortuiu- in  all  parts  of  the  world.    He  don.     A  sketch  of  his  life  will  bo 

was  for  a  time  Commissary-General  found  in   Nova   Scotia  Hist.  Coll., 

of  the  British  forces  in  America.  Vol.  II,  p.  135. 

2A 


I 


o«> 


COinjKSI'ONDENCE   (»K   THOMAS    KAltCMiAY 


iiKMit  cx(!liulcs  Tiie  from  nM-civiii*^.'  It  is  improper  iind  useless 
to  urfjei  uiiy  arj^iiiiKuit  a^iiinst  the  exception  in  tlui  lUit  of  I'ur- 
liiiment,  but  it  strikes  lue  as  extremely  obvious  that  (lentlemen 
who  boro  an  active  part  durinj;  the  War  and  hardly  earned 
their  pay,  merit  some  thin<^  morc^  than  those  drones  who  re- 
mained imietive,  and  were  a  dead  weij^ht  on  (Jovci'nment  re- 
(jeivin^  an  allowanee  of  money  and  pi'ovision  without  doinjjf 
any  thing  for  it.  The  proft^ssional  C7om[)(!nsation  inctludes 
most  of  tlie  latter  dcserii)tion  and  very  few  of  the  formei-. 
However  [  neitlier  could  expect  or  would  I  apply  for  a  pension 
wen^  there  not  sevei'al  Instances  of  them,  and  as  I  conceive  my- 
self e({ually  entitled  with  any  ofiicer  who  served  and  have  as 
ample  certificates  of  my  behavior  ami  Services  as  can  be 
[)enned,  I  deem  it  but  Justice  to  my  numerous  family  to  re- 
quest the  aid  of  my  friends  to  ol)taiu  that  we  so  much  want 
and  others  under  similar  circumstances  enjoy. — I  shall  luime 
only  thrtie  Oentlemen  who  receive  these  })ensions  altho'  there 
are  many  more.  Thev  are  (xontUnuen  of  familv  Characttsr  and 
every  way  deserving  of  the  attention  of  Government.  The 
first,  Col.  Cruger,-  merits  it  also  on  the  Score  of  important 
Services  and  spirited  behavior.  The  two  others,  majors  Vau 
Cortlandt''  and  Bayard  "*  can  have  no  claims  from  Service,  hav- 
ing seen  but  very  little  if  any.  It  is  disagreeable  for  me  to  say 
anything  on  the  Score  of  my  own,  but  as  I  am  writing  to  you 
what  to  urge  in  favor  of  my  pretensions,  you  will  not  I  trust 
look  on  it  as  proceeding  from  vanity  or  savoring  of  Egotism. 


1  Tho  caet  referred  to  is  23  Geo. 
III.,  Cliiip.  80,  passed  in  July,  17S3, 
under  wlueh  a  board  of  three  eoin- 
niisHioners  was  created  "for  enquir- 
ing into  the  respective  Losses  and 
Services  of  all  such  Person  and  Per- 
sons who  have  sufl'ered  in  their 
Rights,  Properties  and  Possessions, 
during  the  late  uidiappy  nissentions 
in  America,  in  conse(iueiK'0  of  their 
Loyalty  to  His  Majesty,  and  Attach- 
ment to  the  British  Government.'' 
The  liual  statement  of  the  commis- 


sioners was  presented  to  Parliament 
in  March,  17i)0. 

-  Jolm  Harris  ('ruger,  Jjieutenant- 
Colonel  of  De  Laucey's  First  Bat 
talion.     Best  known  for  his  brilliant 
defense  of  the  fort  at  Ninety-Six,  in 
South  Carolina,  June,  1781. 

■i  Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  Major  of 
the  Third  Battalion,  New  Jersey 
Volunteers. 

4  Samuel  Bayard,  ISIajor  of  tho 
King's  Orange  Rangers. 


EARLIER   YEAHS 


23 


si'loss 
f  I'lir- 
lomou 

rUo  re- 
cnt  re- 
doing 
icAiides 
t'ovnuM-. 
jH'Usioii 
■ivoiny- 
hiivc  as 
can  1)t' 
iy  to  re- 
tell want 
nil  name 
ho'  there 
icter  and 
lit.      The 
uiportant 
ijofs  Vai. 
•vice,  hav- 
me  to  say 
lis  to  you 
ot  1  trust 
'  Ey-otisni. 

)  I'livlianieiit 


Lieutenant- 
First  Bat 
hirt  hrilliant 
inety-Six,  in 
SL 

It,  Major  of 
>[e\v    Jersey 


17 


In  the  sprinj?  of  the  year  177(i  I  was  di-iven  from  my  homo 
hy  the  Amerieans  and  joined  the  Royal  Army,  wherein  I 
aeted  as  a  voliintecr  diiiMn«;  thf  ('ampaiirii  of  that  year.'  In 
the  besiniiin«jr  of  1777  I  joined  Col:  Uohiiison  in  raisiiiji:  a 
Corps  and  was  that  Summer  at  the  storminfj;  of  Forts  (/linton 
and  Monto'onuiry.  My  Behavior  there  met  the  approbation  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  he  pronu)t(!d  mo  to  the  Majority  (»f  the 
It(!}j:iment.  At  thut  time  I  went  out  for  him  on  a  feio-ned  llajf 
of  truce  in  order  to  (lis(!ovei-  (jleneral  IMituam's  &  I'arson's 
Situation, —  Sir  Henry  beiu}^  uppreheiisive  the  latter  had 
marched  to  attache  the  Lines  at  Kiuys  Britl^'e  then  very  weakly 
defended.  This  I  effected  at  the  ri.s(iue  of  my  Life,  havino- 
been  detained  a  day  and  a  half  on  Suspicion  of  beiiiy;  a  Spy, 
and  brought  Sir  lleury  at  V(iri)lanks  Point  au^reeable  and  |)os- 
itive  Information.  In  177H  I  servcul  on  Hoard  the  (Uirri/.-tforf 
Frif^ate  with  100  of  the  lio'/  as  Marines  while  the  Fi-eneh 
fleet  wore  at  Rhode  Island  and  at  the  Hook  near  New  Vork.-' 
In  '79  was  in  C'onneetiiuit  under  (leneral  Tryon,^  and  durint;' 


lajor   ol'    the 


J  The  "sprinf^"  of  177(i  s(^enis  to 
be  an  error.  Lord  Howe  only  roacheil 
Staten  Island  .Tiily  12,  177(),  so  tliat 
Barclay  could  not  liiive  joineil  the 
Koyal  Army  before  tinit  time.  Tie 
may,  however,  have  left  Ulster  Coun- 
ty earlier  and  <^one  to  Queens  Coun- 
ty, which  was  a  nuich  more  conjienial 
locality.  His  lirst  child  was  born 
at  Flushin};,  December  3,  1770.  A 
week  earlier,  on  November  27,  1770, 
the  Committeo  of  Safety,  sitting  at 
Fishkill, —  having  before  it  "an  in- 
ventory of  the  personal  Estate  late 
belonging  to  Tliomas  Barclay  of 
Ulster  County,"  who  had  "some 
months  since  gone  over  to  the  enemy 
on  Nassau  Island,"  —  ordered  Wil- 
liam Duer  to  take  all  the  hay,  for- 
agi',  and  grain  from  Barclay's  farm 
for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  directed 
that  the  live  stock  be  sold  at  pub- 


lic auction  —  reserving  only  so  much 
as  might  be  needed  for  the  support 
of  Mr.  Fowler,  the  overseer,  and 
his  family,  and  the  slaves  on  the 
farm.  Journals  Brov.  Cong.,  Vol.  I, 
p.  721. 

-  Th(^  ('(irri/sfiirt  was  a  frigate  of 
twenty-eight  guns,  commaniled  by 
('aptain  Rolxa't  Fanshaw.  On  Au- 
gust IS,  177S,  we  read  in  Montre- 
sor's  Journal  that  she  was  lying, 
with  the  ('(iniitla  and  the  Zchra, 
near  Flushing,  and  thai  on  the 
20th  "the  Kegiment  of  New  York 
Loyalists  embarked  on  board  the 
frigates  at  Flushing"  were  oi-dered 
to  land  "and  take  up  their  old 
ground."  N.  Y.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll., 
ISSl,  p.  r)10. 

:<  This  was  in  July,  177!).  On  the 
night  of  July  4th  and  the  morning 
of  the  r)th,   177i),  Governor  Tryou 


24 


(•DUKES PON DEN(!E  OP  THOMAS   HARCLAY 


the  roinaindov  of  tho  Season  (ioiiiposod  ono  of  i\w  (Jarrisoii  at 
Vcrplauks  Point  (opposite  Stony  Point)  undor  L'  (-ol.  Wcib- 
ster'  who  (U)ninuin(l('(l  fi'oni  May  to  Aujjf',  dnrinj^  wlii(^ti  p«'riod 
T  liad  th(^  vMv,  and  coniinand  r.f  tlu;  ri<;lit  hand  rt'donl)t  wliich 
from  haviiif^  it  in  tlic  inaj^-nzino  sustained  th(^  whoh'  of  th(! 
cannonade  and  Ixnnhai'dinent  of  tlie  Americans  for  foni"  days 
from  Stony  Point  which  they  had  f^niined.'-  About  the  hist  of 
August  the  :yA  li</  &  Col  Webster  h'ft  Vorphmks  Point  when 
the  Commander  in  (^liief  ai)point('d  me  to  the*  eomnnmd  on  the 
IteeommeiKhition  of  ('oh  Webster,  with  a  (hu-rison  of  (iUO 
men  two  thirds  of  wliom  were  ill  with  Ajj^ues  and  fevers.  I 
maintained  th(!  I'ost  until  ordered  to  evacMiate  it  in  Nov',-' 
notwithstanding;  Mr.  Washington  and  his  whole  army  were 
within  a  days  Marcdi  and  reeonoitering  our  Works  and  attacik- 
in<?  th(^  PicMjuots  daily.  During  the  Winter  of  7!)  &  80  1  was 
twiee  in  tlu^  Jersciys  in  commaiul,  oncc^  with  a  detachnuuit  of 
the  Guards,  the  siH'ond  tinu!  with  (rerman  Troo])s.      In  17801 


liiiuloil  iioav  Now  riavcii.  A  staiid 
was  iiiado  by  tlut  dofciKk'i.s  at  Wost- 
bri(lf,'c,  on  tlio  Miliord  road,  and  tho 
Britisli  wore  forcc.'dto  turn  from  their 
patli.  At  ThoHipHon'sBrid^j^i!,  on  tli(» 
Derby  road,  anotlior  skirniisli  har- 
assed the  Britisli,  but  New  Haven 
was  entered,  jilundered,  and  saeked. 
The  President  of  Yale  was  ainonj? 
those  maltreated.  Leavinjf  N((W 
Haven,  the  fleet  sailed  to  Fairfield. 
Little  resistance  was  made,  and  the 
town  was  plundered  f  d  buriuid. 
Green's  Farms  was  the  next  object 
of  the  veufjeance  of  Tryon,  and  was 
almost  utterly  destroyed.  On  the 
11th  Norwalk  was  entered  and  de- 
stroyed. Tryon  was  then  recalled 
to  New- York. 

1  James  Webster  was  the  son  of 
a  Scotch  clergyman  of  Edinburgh. 
Ho  came  to  America  as  Major  of  the 
Thirty-third  Foot,  was  promoted  to 


bo  liieutonant-Colonel,  and  was 
kille.l  at  (lu!  battle  of  (iuilford,  Nort  ii 
Carolina,  March  14,  1781.  ]jeo,  in 
his  Memoirs  of  the  War,  p.  1292,  de- 
clares that  Webster  was  tiie  first 
among  the  officers  of  (Jornwallis's 
army. 

-  (renoral  Wayne  retook  .Stony 
Point  on  the  morning  of  .Tnly  1(5, 
1779,  and  held  it  for  only  a  few  days. 
That  post,  and  the  works  at  Ver- 
planck's  Point  on  the  oast  side  of 
tlio  river,  had  been  cajjtured  by  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  in  May. 

•^  Barclay,  writing  from  memory, 
is  not  ((uito  accurate  in  his  dates. 
Vorplanck's  Point  was  evacuated  on 
the  morning  of  ()ctober  21,  1779, 
when  the  British  sot  fire  to  thoir 
buildings,  and,  embarking  on  trans- 
ports, sailed  down  to  New-York. 
See  Memoirs  of  Maj.-Gen.  Heath, 
p.  220. 


EAIIMKR   YEARS 


25 


II  at 
h^i- 
rio(\ 
liicU 
'  Ww 
(lays 
ist  of 
whi'M 
u  tlu'. 
t'  GOO 
rs.    I 
Nov',-' 
'  were 
ittaiik- 
I  \  was 
wni  of 
1780 1 

1,1,1    was 
yd,  North 

lii'O,  ill 
,.  -32,  Je- 

t\w   tivst 
rnwalUs's 

|ok    Stony 

July  1«, 

f  ow  days. 

s  at  Ver- 

st  sido  of 

,v(m\  by  Sir 

memory, 
his  dates, 
laeuated  on 

21,    1T"9. 
Ire  to  thoir 
[cr  on  trans- 
New-York, 
ieu.  Heath, 


WHH  attaclnMl  to  tluf  provincial  liif^ht  Infantry,'  served  with 
Getuiral  Ijcslie  in  Virginia  where  I  eoniinanchid  tlu!  advaneinl 
Post,'-  and  afterwards  in  CiirolinM,  under  Lord  Uawdon.  In 
Carolina  we  wen*  fre(inently  in  Ai^tion,  in  ont;  of  which  (at 
Kanty's  lionsc)  I  reeeivt'd  two  Wounds  in  the  same  ehar«i;e.'' 
WJKMi  Loi'd  Uawdon  rcsijjfued  the  (!oninwind  in('arolina  I  was 
re((uested  h  him  to  carry  his  Dispatelu^s  by  Sea  to  Lord 
('ornwallis  itt  Yorktown  in  \'ir<;inia,  and  was  taken  at  the 
Knterance  of  the  (!apes  by  the  ]''i'(Mi<^h  fleet  in  attempting' 
to  make  my  way  through  them  to  his  ijoi-dshii),  was  a  I'i'is 
oner  with  the  {^''rench  durinj^  the  Action  ot '  th(^  Capes  under 
Ad.  ({raves  and  (*onnt  de  Crrasse,'* — obtained  my  i)arol  in  ii 
few  days  after,  and  arrived  at  New  York  in  time  to  p^ivt;  the 
Commanders  in  Chief  l>y  Sea  and  Land  very  full  and  neces- 
sary infonmition.  l<^rom  that  jteriod  the  offensive  piU't  of  tlie 
War  ceased — Lord  Dorchester''  arriviul  and  yourself  with 
him  —  y(ni  therefore  my  dear  Sir  can  say  what  Character  I 
had  at  New  York  as  an  officer  and  hav«^  therefore  oidy  to  add 
t''-it  after  the  War  instead  of  ^oin^  to  Enjj^land  to  pro3(M-ute 
my  claims  and  obtain  a  pensioji  as  many  otti(!ei>;  did, —  I  came 
to  Nova  Scotia  at  Loi-d  Dorchester's  &  your  rKpicst  to  lo(!ate 
the  Lands  for  tlie  provincial  troops  in  company  with  Col.  D. 

1  This  was  the  Corps  of  Provincial  defeat  at  King's  Mountain,  aban- 
Light  Infantry,  made  up  of  frag-  doncd  liis  march  to  Virginia;  and 
nuMits  of  Movoral  Loyalist  regiments,  on  November  22,  1780,  Leslie  reimi- 
and  placed  under  tlio  command  of  barked  his  detachment  and  sailed 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Watson.    Wat-  for  Charleston. 

son  was  an   Englisliman  by  birth,  3  This  jiffair  was  probably  a  skir- 

and  a  Captain  and  Lieutenant-Colo-  mish  between  Watson's  Light  Lifan- 

nel  in  tho  Third  Foot  Guards.     His  try  and  Marion.    Canty's  house  is 

corps  was  very  constantly  and  ac-  shown  on  the  inap  prefixed  to  Tar- 

tively  employed  in  the  Carolinas.  Icton's  Letters,  etc.,  and  lies  about 

He  rose  eventually  to  the  rank  of  fifteen  miles  east  of  Nelson's  Ferry 

General,  and  died  in  France  in  1826.  on  tho  Sautee,  on  tho  road  to  George- 

2  General  Leslie,  with  about  :!000  town. 

men,  was  sent  by  Sir  Henry  Clin-        4  September,  1781. 
ton  to  meet  Cornwallis  in  Virginia        5  Lord  Dorchester,  better  known 

in  October,  1780.     Leslie  occup    d  in  our  history  as  Sir  Guy  Carleton, 

Portsmouth  without  opposition  ;  but  arrived  in  New-York  as  Sir  Henry 

Cornwallis,  in   consequence  of  tho  Clinton's  successor,  in  May,  1782. 


, 


20 


CORRESPONDENCfE   OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


1 

!    I 


L.^  &  Ed.  Wiiislow.-  How  well  wo  oxecntod  this  trust  I  loave 
you  to  Speak. — Tliis  T  may  safely  add,  the  Province  of  New 
Brunswie  owes  its  present  existence  to  our  exertions  and  rep- 
resentations to  you. 


(i 


!  i: 


I. 


,':         y 


Fi'otn  this  detail  you  will  ohservo  T  have  been  on  actual 
Service  and  in  action  more  or  less  eve./  campain  from 
1777  to  17HI.  The  copies  of  Certifhtates  inclosed  will  prove 
liow  well  I  served.  The  originals  have  been  delivered  iuto 
thti  Treasury.  If  more  were  necessary  (xcnicrals  Lesli(>, 
Vaughn  and  Mathews — Cols.  Watson,  Small  aud  lialfour 
and  all  the  offic(\rs  of  the  (Juards  (i;}  &  04  Hegts.  who  served  in 
Virginia  and  Carolina  would  cheei-fuUy  certify —  Lady  South- 
ampton (who  is  a  cousin  (Jerman  of  Mivs.  B's)  has  promised 
her  Lords  Good  offices  in  my  favor,''  I  have  given  you  as  full 
a  Sta+omont  as  I  think  reiiuisite.  My  recommendations  ai'e 
ample.  My  Prescmce  in  the  (bounty  of  Anna])oli8  has  contrib- 
uted more  to  its  impi'ovement,  and  retaining  the  Loyalists 
here  than  any  other  person,  and  the  Ilenly  settlement  in  Wil- 
mot  ex(!eeds  any  now  one  in  either  {n'ovincc.  Those  pursuits, 
which  dearly  benefit  the  parent  state  have  been  the  obstruc- 
tions to  my  coming  over  to  Loudon — I  conceived  it  a  duty  in- 
cumbent on  me  at  T.e  close  of  the  War  to  attend  those  who 
had  faithfully  served  their  king  and  see  them  comfortably 
seth.'d —  Had  I  gone  home  in  17(S3  or  any  subsequent  yisar  by 
my  personal  attendance,  added  to  the  Interest  of  my  friends,  I 
shoidd  have  procured  u  temporary  support  and  a  pension 
afterwards.  In  case  you  my  fiiends  should  not  succeed  this 
Winter,  I  must  cross  the  Atlantic  and  try  my  own  ex(u-tions. 
I  have  a  fainily  of  ten  Children  ami  lind  my  half  pay  and  prac- 
tice unequal  to  their  maintenance  even  witli  studied  Kcon<)my, 

'  JamcH    Dc    Luncoy,    Mrs.    Bar-  the  Lnyiilist  forces.  ]Ie  died  in  New 

clay's  brother.  Brunswick  iu  1815. 

"  Edward  Wiuslow,  .Jr.,  born  in  '^  Lady    Woutiiauipton    was    the 

Massaciuisetts    about   174r),   gradu-  daugliter '>!' Admiral  Sir  Peter  War- 

ated  at  Harvard.  17G5.     Ho  was  a  ren,  whose  wife  was  Susan  Do  Lan- 

Colonel  in  the  Kin^j's  service,    iid  in  cey,  Mrs.  Barclay's  aunt. 
17Si!  was  Muster-Master-tJeueral  of 


KARIilKR  YF-AWS 


127 


'ave 
rep- 


from 

[)VOV0 

I  into 

tilfour 

ved  iw 
So\xtli- 
omiseAl 

as  hxW 
>us  are 
>ontrib- 
oyalists 

in  Wil- 
)vars»vits, 
()l)struc- 

duty  iu- 

itovtably 
,  year  by 
t'rionds,  1 
pension 
■cced  lAiis 
;x(H"tions. 
and  pvao- 
;eouv)my, 

li    was    the 

rotor  Wav- 
rtiiu  Do  Lau- 


M 


and  when  I  luive  made  this  hist  Attempt  I  shall  .set  down 
satisfied  tliut  1  have  left  nothing;  nntried. — 

Copies  of  Certificates  ichieh  arroniixinied  Major  liiireldifs 
Apptiedtinn  to  the  ritfht  llou''''  the  fjortl  Coimiiissioiters  of 
His  Majestj/s    Treasurif. 

I  Certify,  That  I  always  considered  Major  Barelay  of  Colo- 
nel lieverly  Robinsons  Re^'inient  of  Provintdals  as  a  very 
zealons  active  oflicer,  and  in  every  respecit  infilled  to  the  At- 
tention of  (Jovernnient 

II:  Clinton  IV  (Jkn'. 

I  CV^rtify,  That  Thomas  Barclay  I'^^^q'  Major  to  (^)lonel 
Robinsons  R'et^i'nent  of  Provintuals  served  nnder  my  com- 
mand in  Carolina,  and  merited  mneh  praise  for  Ids  activity, 
conrajj^e  and  eondnct  on  eviuy  occasion,  llis  zeal  was  ccpially 
cons}  icnons  in  the  earlier  Period  of  the  Wai",  I,  therefore,  bejjf 
leave  to  recommend  Inm  Strontjly  to  the  (\)mmissioiRn's  tho' 
he  is  not  here  in  Person  to  make  his  application. 

RAwnoN. 
London  Fel/^  ^tli  175)0. 

I  do  Certify,  that  as  Inspector  Ceneral  of  the  late  Provincial 
Forces  in  North  America,  I  liad  an  opportunity  of  beinjjf  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  the  Character  of  Major  Thomas  Mnv- 
clay  of  the  Loyal  American  R(\s:iment  connnanded  l)y  ('ohuiel 
Beverly  Ko])inson  ;  and  can  ijfive  the  most  ami)le  Testimony 
of  his  Zeal,  Spirit  and  Loyalty,  from  the  earliest  period  of  tlu' 
Rebellion,  and  of  his  Worth  ami  good  Conduct  as  an  OITicer. 

AiiFA' :  Innes, 
(late)  Insi)'  Uen'  of  P.  Forces. 

I  do  liei-e1)y  Cc^rtify,  that  Major  Thomas  Barclay,  late  of 
Colonel  Beverly  Robinsons  Rt'gimciut  of  Loyal  Americans, 
serv(!d  dnriiMj:  tho  War  in  a,  vei-y  distinguishtHl  manner  —  I 
think  his  Z  ,d.  Bravery  and  good  Conduct,  which  has  l)een 
shown  on  so  many  occasions,  give  him  tho  fullest  Claim  to  the 


r^ 


28 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


Ml 


■J      ': 


favour  of  Govenimcut ;  I  therefore  beg  leave  to  recommend 
him  in  the  Strongest  manner  to  tlie  Commissioners  of  Ameri- 
can Claims,  as  worthy  of  every  Indulgence  that  can  be  shown 
to  him. 

Ol:  De  Lancey 

late  Adju'  Gen'  N°  Am". 

I  do  Certify,  that  I  was  intimately  aaquainted  with  Major 
Thomas  Barclay,  late  of  the  Province  of  New  York,  many 
Years  before  the  Late  dissensions  in  America.  That  he  was 
bred  to  the  Profession  of  the  Law,  and  had  entered  into  the 
practice  of  that  Profession  before  the  Troubles  began. —  That 
he  purchased  an  Estate  in  the  County  of  Ulster  on  which  he 
was  Settled,  was  very  much,  respected  by  all  Ranks  of  People, 
and  had  as  fair  and  promising  prospects  of  success  as  any 
young  Gentleman  in  His  Lino  of  Business. 

That  he  took  an  early  and  activ^e  part  in  the  cause  of  Great 
Britain,  by  opposing  the  proceedings  of  the  Americans,  for 
which  reason  he  became  so  obnoxious  to  the  Leaders  in  Rebel- 
lion, that  he  was  obliged  to  quit  his  Estate  and  business,  and 
fly  to  the  Kings  Army  in  the  Latter  part  of  the  year  1776. 

That  in  March  1777,  He  joined  the  Loyal  American  Regi- 
ment as  Captain,  and  by  his  great  exertions  and  activity  was 
very  serviceable  in  raising  that  Corps,  in  which  he  served 
as  Captain  till  the  Month  of  October  following,  when  he  was 
for  his  Bravery  and  good  Conduct  at  the  Attack  and  taking  of 
Fort  Montgomery  on  the  Hudson  River,  and  for  other  essen- 
tial Services,  during  that  Expedition,  Promoted  to  the  Rank 
of  Major  in  the  Sd  Regiment;  That  he  continued  with  the 
Regiment  from  this  time  to  the  summer  oi  1780,  and  was 
always  on  active  Service  either  with  the  whole  Regm'  or  De- 
tachments from  it,  and  on  every  occasion  gained  Credit  to 
himself  and  the  approbation  of  His  superior  Officers. 

Tliat  in  the  year  1780,  when  Sir  Henry  Clinton  ordered  a 
Corps  of  Light  Infantry  to  be  formed  from  the  Provincial 
Lino,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Watson,  Major  Barclay 
desirous  of  being  employed  in  the  most  active  Line  of  duty,  of- 


EARLIER  YEARS 


29 


leri- 


n". 

many 
e  was 
bo  the 
-That 

icli  ho 
:>cople, 

as  any 

E  Great 

ans,  for 

1  Rebel- 
ess,  and 

L776. 

m  Rcgi- 

vity  was 

3  served 

,1  lie  was 
aking  of 

[er  essen- 
f,\ie  Rank 
with  the 
and  was 
[n*  or  De- 
Credit  to 

[ordered  a 
>rovincial 
Lr  Barclay 
f  duty,  of- 


fered liis  services  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  requested  he 
would  a])point  liini  s  sond  in  command  to  Colonel  Watson, 
Avhicli  Sir  Henry  was  pleased  with,  and  gave  him  that  Ap- 
pointment; with  this  Corps  he  went  to  Virginia  under  the 
command  of  General  Leslie,  and  from  there  to  South  Caro- 
lina. In  both  these  Provinces  he  served  with  great  Credit  and 
Reputation,  and  to  the  Approbation  of  the  different  Coniman- 

dei's  under  whom  he  did  serve. 

Bev.  RoniNSON. 

Wilmot,  to  whicdi  our  exil(3S  had  retreated  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  lies  on  the  railway  near  the  head  of 
the  pleasant  valley  of  Annapolis,  and  about  half-way 
between  the  villages  of  Annapolis  and  Grand  Pre.  It 
is  even  at  the  present  time  a  remote  and  tliinly  settled 
region,  with  a  few  scattered  hamlets  and  farm-houses 
strung  along  the  course  of  the  little  river,  and  the  deep 
forest  stretching  away  from  the  hills  on  either  side. 
But  in  1781)  the  forest  primeval  and  the  murnuiring 
pines  and  the  hemlocks  stood  untouched  through  the 
entire  valley,  (sxcept  where  the  clearings  reached  out 
under  the  walls  of  the  deserted  French  forti'ess  of  Port 
Royal.  Th(i  long  and  desperate  struggles  between  the 
English  invaders  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Acadians  and 
their  Indian  allies  on  the  other,  were  indeed  at  an  end. 
The  banished  Loyalist  found  no  worse  enemies  than 
winter  and  rough  weather,  but  the  forces  of  nature 
were  in  their  fullest  vigor  of  resistance  and  were  not 
easily  to  be  subdued. 

Of  the  bitter  struggles  of  those  first  years  of  banish- 
ment in  the  heart  of  the  wdld  forest  of  Nova  Scotia 
only  a  scanty  record  remains,  and  we  can  but  dimly 
picture  the  daily  recurring  dangers  and  privations  to 
which  these  unwilling  pioneers  wx're  subject;  but  with 
a  brave  spirit  difficulties  were  met  and  overcome,  and 


30 


CORRESPONDEXCE   OP   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


I 


»i 


i\ 


I 


I 


! 


il    f 


children  wore  born  and  grew  into  vigorous  manhood 
amid  those  discouraging  surroundings.  Major  Bar- 
clay, we  are  told,  "  with  his  own  hands  levelled  the  for- 
est on  his  new  possession,  which  gratefully  rewarded  his 
toil  and  perseverance ;  while  he  converted  the  settlement 
of  troops  into  a  respectable  society  of  which  he  soon  be- 
came physician,  pastor,  counsellor  and  judge.  By  his 
industry  in  farming,  he  supported  a  large  family,  until 
finding  his  colony  in  a  prosperous  and  orderly  state,  he 
removed  to  Annapolis  Royal  about  the  year  1789,  to  pur- 
sue his  profession  at  the  bar,  which  he  exercised  with 
great  success  through  the  province  of  Nova  Scotia."' 

As  a  successful  country  lawyer,  he  naturally  entered 
the  public  service,  and  in  1785  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  province.  On  March  20, 
1793,  he  became  speaker  of  that  body — a  post  which  he 
retained  until  1799,  when  he  removed  to  New- York. 

For  a  time  his  old  military  experience  came  again 
into  demand.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion fears  were  entertained  of  an  invasion  of  the  mari- 
time provinces,  and  militia  regiments  were  raised  both 
in  New  Branswick  and  Nova  Scotia.  Major  Barclay 
became  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  a  regiment,  and  for  a 
time  was  Adjutant-General  of  the  provincial  forces." 


1  Curwon's  Journal  and  Letters, 
edited  by  G.  A.  Ward,  p.  598. 

'■2  Writing  in  1817  to  the  Foreign 
Office,  in  reply  to  an  inquiry  as  to 
his  rank  in  the  army,  Barclay  said : 
"  In  the  year  1793  His  Majesty  was 
graciously  pleased  to  appoint  mo 
Lieutenant-Colonel  to  the  Royal 
Nova  Scotia  liegiraent,  which  situ- 
ation I  held  only  a  few  months,  as 
Sir  John  Wentworth,  then  Governor 
of  Nova  Scotia,  agreed  in  opinion 


with  me,  that  I  could  render  His 
Majesty  more  essential  Service  by 
raising  a  Corps  of  fencible  militia  in 
Nova  Scotia,  which  I  did  without 
incurring  any  expense  to  Govern- 
ment. My  rank  therefore  is  that  of 
a  Provincial  Lieut. -Col.,  but  when  I 
draw  half  pay,  I  receive  that  of  Ma- 
jor of  the  late  Loyal  American  Regi- 
ment. It  is  however  now  upwards 
of  eighteen  years  since  I  have  drawn 
half  pay." 


Ii.'    ■'•R 


EARLIER  YEARS 


31 


hootl 
Bar- 
e  f  or- 
3d  bis 
iineiit 
on  be- 
3y  bis 
,  mitil 
ate,  be 
to  puv- 
jd  witb 

tia."' 
entered 

iieniber 
avcb  20, 
vbicb  be 
lovk. 
Lie  again 
Revolu- 
;he  niari- 
laed  botb 

Barclay 
lind  tor  a 

orces.' 

L  render  His 
a  Service  by 
ible  militia  \n 
dill  witlioxit 
le  to  Govevn- 
f ore  is  that  o£ 
,1.,  butwlienl 
vo  tliat  of  Ma- 
tncvieaii  Rogi- 
■  now  upwards 
olbavedrawn 


Those  varied  activities  are  but  slij^htly  refleoted  in 
the  following  correspondence.  Such  letters  as  have 
been  preserved  deal  mainly  with  matters  of  current 
business,  and  rarely  touch  on  questions  of  public  inter- 
est ;  but  his  allusions  to  the  condition  of  the  Loyalists 
in  Nova  Scotia  and  the  prospects  of  the  colony  are 
perhaps  not  unworthy  of  preservation. 


TO   LIEUT. 


FENWICK,   CHATHAM,   ENGLAND. 


Sir: 


27  October,  1790. 


Mr.  Cutler  on  liis  arrival  in  this  Province  delivered  me  your 
favor  of  tlie  31st  of  Aug^ust  with  Letter  Attorney  inclosed.  I 
shall  most  chearfully  undertake  the  agency  you  request,  liav- 
iiig  a  fellow  feeling  for  those  whose  property  is  remote  from 
their  residence  and  whose  situation  prevents  their  personal 
attendance.  Since  the  peace  in  1783  my  n"»ther  died  in  the 
State  of  New  York  in  Nortli  America,  and  devised  a  fourth 
part  of  her  Estate  to  my  Children  (being  myself  from  attain- 
der incapable  of  inheriting)  and  altho  she  has  been  dead  more 
tliau  four  years  and  I  have  written  innumerable  Letters  to  the 
Executors,  still  I  have  never  been  able  to  bring  about  a  divi- 


sion or  Sale.' 


Should  you  incline  to  sell  [your  farm]  you  may  let  me  know 
the  lowest  price  you  wish  it  to  go  at  as  1  will  set  it  up  at  that 
and  if  anj-  one  gives  more  let  him  have  it.     I  shall  want  a 


1  "Four  years"  is  a  mistake. 
Mary  Barclay  died  on  Sunday,  June 
8,  1788,  only  a  liltle  more  than  two 
years  before  the  date  of  this  letter. 
"The  hearts  of  all  who  knew  Mrs. 
Biirelay,"  said  tlio  New-York  Daily 
Advertiser,  in  announcing  her  death, 
"  will  testify  to  her  worth.  From  a 
long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  precepts  of  Christianity,  she  f ul  ■ 


filled  its  duties  with  uniformity  and 
zeal,  the  reward  of  which  she  is  now 
reaping,  while  her  children  must  de- 
plore tho  loss  of  a  most  tender  pa- 
rent, the  poor  a  cheerful  contributor, 
and  all  her  acciuaintance  a  pleasing 
friend."  Ht^r  executors  were  Eg- 
bert Benson,  Samuel  Bayard,  and 
John  Watts,  Jr. 


i;  T'*" 


I 


r 


!   j 


i  li 


m  ^1 


■ 


1 1 
i,  j 


32 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Letter  of  Attorney  ennabliiig  me  to  sell  either  together  or  by 
divisions,  as  it  is  possible  it  may  fetch  more  in  parcels. 

In  Countrys  like  this  it  is  impossible  to  say  whetluir  lands 
will  increase  in  valnc  superior  to  the  money  at  interest.  Since 
the  year  178(5  they  have  greatly  decreased  in  this  Provimie, 
owing  to  the  immense  number  of  Loyalists  returning  to  the 
united  States.  At  present  they  are  rather  on  the  rise.  My 
own  opinion  is  that  money  at  use  here  is  preferable  to  Lands; 
and  ever  will  be  in  this  frozen  Zone. 

TO   WM.   STURGE   MOORE. 

Annapolis,  7th  June,  17!)1. 
Dear  Sir: 

Your  favor  of  the  6th  April  came  to  me  the  31st  of  May.  I 
am  sorry  to  find  you  still  undetermined  about  coming  out,  and 
at  your  Silence  in  answer  to  mine  of  the  27th  of  Dec'r  wherein 
I  requested  you  to  let  me  know  how  much  I  should  bid  at 
Auction  for  you  on  the  Sale  of  the  Parrsborough  Estate  — The 
two  other  Trustees  and  myself  were  of  opinion  it  would  be 
more  satisfactory  to  Captain  Moore,  yourself  and  the  Credit- 
ors that  White  Hall  should  be  sold  at  Publick  Auction  to  the 
highest  Bidder,  than  to  you  at  the  Price  I  offered,  to  wit  £400. 
As  soon  therefore  as  we  came  to  this  determination  I  wrote 
you  and  begged  your  orders  how  far  I  should  bid  for  you  at 
the  Auction.  I  was  aware  it  was  possible  some  person  or 
other  knowing  your  demand  might  run  it  up  to  a  Considera- 
ble amount,  and  tlio'  far  Short  of  the  balance  due  yon,  sell 
more  than  its  nresent  value.  I  declined  therefore  having  the 
Auction  until  1  had  your  order  to  what  amount  I  might  bid — 
You  are  now  therefore  to  make  up  your  mind  whether  you 
will  remove  to  Nova  Scotia  and  of  coiirso  take  White  Hall  or 
whether  it  shall  be  sold  and  brought  in  for  you  or  not  as 
it  may  happen.  This  my  dear  sir  to  you  is  a  question  of  mo- 
ment and  I  should  advise  you  not  only  seriously  to  Consider 
it  your  Self  but  also  to  take  the  advice  of  your  friends  at 
home  on  the  Subject.  Nova  Scotia  is  neither  like  Great  Brit- 
ain or  even  Pensylvania  where  lauds  bring  in  a  certain  an- 


y 


EARLIER  YEARS 


33 


lands 
Since 
vince, 
to  the 

3.   My 
Lands-, 


May.    1 
out,  and 
whevein 
d  l)id  at 
fitc-The 
svoiild  be 
le  Credit- 
ion  to  the 
wit  £400. 
)X\  1  wrote 
for  yovi  at 
person  or 
Oonsidera- 
e  you,  sell 
having  the 
light  hid— 
hether  you 
lite  Hall  or 
ov  not  as 
tion  of  mo- 
•o  Consider 
friends  at 
Great  Brit- 
certain  an- 


nual profit  and  expences  maybe  ascertained  to  almost  a  farth- 
ing; was  I  to  consult  my  own  feelings  and  Inclinations  T  would 
advise  you  to  come,  hut  as  your  friend  wlio  wishes  your  Inter- 
est it  is  my  duty  to  give  you  a  faithful  detail  and  leave  you  to 
make  up  your  own  ..lind  —  Parrsborough  is  by  no  means  a 
flourishing  settlement,  nu)st  of  the  half  pay  officers  settled 
>  iiere  deeply  invoh  Ofl  and  no  prospect  of  any  success  in  the 
mercantile  Line — L  your  views  are  agricMiltural,  I  am  satis- 
fied you  had  l)etter  make  a  present  of  White  Ilall  and  pur- 
chase a  farm  already  cultivated  than  to  undertake  the  Clearing 
of  new  lands  —  I  speak  from  exi)erience  that  the  cultivation 
of  new  lands  in  Nova  Scotia  is  attended  with  Double  the  ex- 
})enee  that  you  might  purehjise  a  good  farm  for  —  To  set 
down  at  Parrsborough  for  the  sake  of  a  (lood  house,  is  like  a 
hungry  man  setting  down  to  a  table  well  set  out  with  a  variety 
of  empty  plate  and  Dishes.  The  house  at  Parrs) lorough  how- 
ever is  not  finished  and  will  cost  at  least  £200  pouiuls  to  com- 
pleat  it.  No  (lentleman  in  this  Province  can  farm  to  advan- 
tage. I  speak  from  experience  and  I  })elieve  I  managed  as 
well  as  most  persons,  what  your  Situation  at  home  is  I  know 
not,  but  if  you  can  live  there  in  a  Comfortable  retired  manner 
without  losing  your  Cfipital,  never  remove  to  this  Country  — 
I  have  Given  you  my  Opinion  with  a  Candour  I  conceved  ne- 
cessary and  which  to  you  I  hope  will  not  be  disagreeable.  I 
beg  however  you  not  rely  on  it  solely,  but  take  the  advice  of 
friends  able  to  give  it  you.  Let  me  know  your  Determination 
and  what  Sum  I  am  to  go  to  for  you.  Should  you  determine 
to  remain  in  England  I  woidd  a(lvise  you  if  £400  is  bid  for 
Whitehall  to  let  it  go,  and  even  loose  a  part  rather  than  be  en- 
cumbered with  inproductive  place,  and  a  house  which  time 
every  day  renders  less  valuable. 


!    M 


ii 


I 


34 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS    BARCLAY 


TO   IIUFUS   CHANDLER. 


Annapolis,  (itli  Nov.,  ITfll. 

My  dear  Chandler: 

Your  favor  of  tlio  11  Au^  and  its  duplicate  I  have  duly 
rcc'd  and  am  greatly  obliged  to  you  foi*  your  Attention  to  my 
troublesome  commissi(ms  and  the  affectionate  Chearfidness 
with  which  you  transact  tliem.  Your  Letter  I  have  shewn  to 
the  (Jentlemen  of  this  place  who  Desire  me  to  return  you  their 
best  thanks  and  to  request  you  will  send  them  out  an  Engine 
of  the  .size  of  No.  2  made  in  the  best  and  most  substantial 
Manner.    Also  the  extra  21  feet  Suction  Pipe. 

I  had  seen  Kinyons  determination  about  assigning  half  pay 
in  an  English  News  Paper.-  I  can  not  say  it  meets  my  ap- 
probation, nor  do  I  think  it  tends  to  preserve  hoiios  mores 
in  Society.  Half  pay  is  as  Clear  a  Ciiattel  as  a  man  can  bo 
possessed  of;  neither  can  I  subscribe  to  any  of  the  Arguments 
addiu'cd  in  favor  of  those  who  oppose  its  being  assignable  — 
The  Half  pay  is  the  property  of  the  Officer  as  long  as  he  lives 
(unless  he  commits  an  act  that  excludes  him  from  it — that  how- 
ever is  out  of  the  question)  it  is  a  certain  half  yearly  income 
that  is  ascertained  to  a  fj-action.  It  is  the  i-eward  of  past 
Services  and  his  exclusive  property.  If  this  is  the  case  surely 
he  has  a  right  to  do  with  it  as  he  pleases.  A  nuin  possessed 
of  a  lease  for  a  term  of  years  or  of  an  Annuity  has  a  right  to 
Assign  them  to  any  other  person  and  to  direct  tlie  rents  Issues 
Profits  or  money  to  be  paid  him.  When  once  his  Assign- 
ment is  made  the  Assignor  is  bound  and  cannot  make  his  Act. 
Why  then  shall  not  a  half  pay  officer  have  the  same  power? 


1  Kiifus  (Jhamller  was  born  at 
Worcoster,  Mass.,  in  1747;  f^radu- 
ated  at  Harvard  College  in  1700,  and 
practised  law  until  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolution,  when  ho  removed 
to  Nova  Scotia.  He  subseqiiently 
took  up  bis  residence  in  England, 
and  died  in  London  in  18'JI}. 

'■2  Lord  Keuyon's  decision  in  Fhtrtij 
V.  Odium,  3  Duriiford  ij''  luist,  082,  is 


doubtless  me.ant ;  in  which  he  held 
that  half  pay  could  not  legally  be 
assigned,  as  it  would  be  highly  im- 
])olitic  to  permit  creditors  to  reach 
emoluments  of  this  sort,  as  they  "are 
gi'anted  for  the  dignity  of  the  iStato 
and  for  the  decent  su]iport  of  those 
persons  who  are  engaged  in  the  ser- 
vice of  it." 


EARLIER  YEARS 


35 


701. 

;  d\i^y 
to  my 
"illness 
own  to 
)U  tlvcir 
Engine 
stiviitial 

\\M  r«y 

i  my  »P- 
o.s  morcii 
n  call  1)0 
i-guiBcnls 

,s  lie  lives 
-tbatliow- 
L-ly  income 
,rd  of  past 
case  siirely 
I  possessed 
s  a  vifflit  to 
rents  Issues 
bis  Assigu- 
akelnsAct. 
ame  power? 

wbicli  ho  hel.l 
not  loflivlly  ^>e 
I  \,c  Uij:h\y  im- 
.ailors  to  reiioU 
u't,  as  they  "are 
Uv  of  the,  State 
lupiun-t  of  those 
ed  in  the  sei- 


'•itf 


i 


It  is  )>eo!iiis(>  lie  is  a  fool  —  ii  madman  —  or  a  Spend  tln-ift  — 
To  call  us  all  so  is  payiu},'  ns  a  very  l)a(l  coniplinient. — The 
determination  has  only  one  Effect,  to  wit:  to  ^ive  Men  of  tlutt 
Class  an  ()i)i)()rtunity  of  being  Rogues  if  they  please  and  of 
Spending  their  ])ay  in  a  dissolute  (ia<d  to  the;  Injury  of  their 
Creditors  and  the  ruin  of  their  own  healths  and  Morals. 

Mrs.  liarclay  desii'es  her  best  regards  to  you  and  re(inests 
you  will  purchase  her  two  pieces  of  fashionable  llibbon  to 
wear  on  her  head  round  a  Cap  —  She  is  fond  of  i)lain  colours, 
and  wishes  it  rather  broad.  Connidf  the  f<(ste  of  sotnc  fasliioixt- 
hfc  (iri/ii(iinf((ii('r  of  if  ok  rs. 

The  Wesley  Loctusts  have  entered  this  province  and  are  rav- 
aging the  Connty  of  Annapolis.  In  particnlar  (-ozins,  the 
Bennetts,  Scabnry,  and  many  others  have  joined  them.  They 
have  erected  a  handsome  meeting  honse  in  the  rear  of  Covin's 
Lott  facing  the  street  wherein  Worthy  Lake  lived.  0\n^  of  the 
Preachers,  a  little  diminitive  limping  fellow,  has  so  charmed 
Miss  llenny  Cozens  (as  she  is  called)  that  she  has  married  him. 
I  am  told  he  and  all  his  family  before  him  were  beggars  in 
Shrewsbury,  New  Jersey.  His  name  is  Cooper  —  possibly  Col. 
Lawrence  may  know  him  —  I  never  heard  him,  some  Com- 
mend, others  speak  lightly  of  his  Abilities.  I  Should  however 
sui)pose  him  clever  from  having  preached  himself  into  Cozen's 
good  (j races  and  Fortune  and  into  his  Daughter  — 

For  the  Honor  of  Massachusetts  be  it  made  kno^vn  that  his 
jMajesty's  Att*  General  at  Halifax  i  in  a  late  affair  of  Honor 
has  come  off  with  flying  colours,  and  that  the  Solicitor  (rcn- 
eral  that  worthy  descendant  of  fair  Hibernia-  was  obliged  to 

1  Sampson  Salter  Blowers,  born  ill  Halifax.     In   17^  ho  was  made   a /)».»•  v 

Boston  in  March,  1742,  graduated  at  •Jjul^jfa,  and  in  V^Ot  Chief  Justice  of          .    .  -. 

Harvard  Collogo,  1703,  and  died  at  Nova  Scotia.         '^                                     '  ■^     / 

Halifax,  October  25,  1842,  at  the  sx^e  2  Jj^bert  John  Uniacke  was  Soli- 

of  over  100  years.  He  was  associated  citor-Gencral  from  178|  to  1797.     At        '^'' 

with  John  Adams  and  JosiahQiiincy  the  date  of  this  letter,  he  was  also 

in  the  defense  of  the  British  soldiers  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  an  olKco 

tried  in  1770  for  their  part  in  tho  he  held  from  1789  to  179:1,  and  again 

Boston  massacre,    Ho  was  inipris-  from  1799  to  1805.  He  succeeded  Mr. 

oned  as  a  Tory  during  the  Revolu-  Blowers  as  Attorney-General, 
tion,  but  soon  liberated  and  sent  to 


T 

1    T^* 


•i 


ij      '( 


\ 


■I' 


I    I 


;50 


("ORUESiPONDENCF,   OF   THOMAS   nAHCliAY 


miiko  a  lnniil»l(^  apology  to  him.  The  dispute  was  about  a 
Noyi'o  Mau  wlioiu  Uuiiicke  luul  disniissi'd  and  Blowers  took 
into  Servi(^e.  On  this  occasion  Uniacko  said  some  rude  thinj^s 
—  Bh>\vtTs  dialh'nged  —  tlie  (-hicf  Justice  interfered  aiul 
hound  them  hoth  over  in  JCl ;")()(),  notwitlistandin^'  wliieh 
lilowers  wntte  Uniaeke  he  was  ready  to  break  his  li(»nds  and 
meet  liim, —  that  Satisfaction  ho  would  have  sooner  or  Later. 
This  determined  Conduct  so  t'ri<jhtened  Uniaeke  that  he 
l)egj,^ed  pardon. 

We  are  very  gay  here  this  Winter  —  Assemblies  once  a  fort- 
nij^ht  and  a  Weekly  C'lul).  Annaj)olis  is  still  the  seat  of  Har- 
mony and  friendsliip,  T  wish  I  could  add  wealth. 

I  have  written  this  in  a  small  hand  to  comi)rehend  all  I  had 
to  say  on  a  sheet,  (live  my  sincere  love  to  your  father,  may 
you  and  he  enjoy  many  years  of  nninterrupted  lieaMh  and 
happiness  is  the  sincere  wish  of 

your  very  affectionate 
and  faithful 

Tho  Barclay. 

TO    BllOOK    WATSON    &    CO. 

Ainiai)()lis,  KJth  Jnuuary,  1792. 
Gentlemen : 

Tn  an  accidental  conversation  I  lately  had  with  ni}'  Bi-other 
in  Law  Mr.  Stephen  l)e  Lancey,  I  discovered  that  Col.  Dundas 
and  Jeremy  Pemberton  Esquii'es  the  Commissi(mers  appointed 
to  examine  into  the  Losses  &e  &c  of  those  Loyalists  who  m  ere 
resident  in  this  and  the  other  Provinces,  had  after  examining- 
me  and  heaiiug  Witnesses  on  my  claims,  struck  out  a  part  by 
mistake  or  misinformation  to  which  I  was  most  justly  entitled 
and  for  a  loss  exactly  similar  to  which  they  allowed  Mr.  De 
Lancey  —  The  case  is  this  —  Mrs.  Barclay  (who  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Mr.  Peter  De  Lancey)  and  her  brother  Mr. 
Stephen  De  Lancey  were  with  the  other  Children  of  Mr.  Peter 
De  Lancey  possessed  of  an  Estate  at  the  Wliitehall  in  the  City 
of  New- York  consisting  of  Dwelling  Houses  Store  Houses  and 
Stables —  In  177G  that  part  of  New  York  was  burnt  and  it  was 


\  i 


.iSil 


EARLIER  YEARS 


37 


t  a 

itltl'V. 

[  llav- 

.  I  liiul 
V,  way 
th  aiH^ 


:CLAY. 


', 


1792. 


Brother 

Duiulas 
ippointed 
>vho^vcre 

•a  part  by 
y  entitled 
lod  Mr.  I>« 

a  daugh- 
•otUer  Mr. 

Mr.  Peter 
vu  the  City 
loxises  and 

and  it  was 


generally  holiovod  by  the  Americans,  the  ftre  happening  the 
very  night  or  night  after  l,he  Kings  Troops  took  possession  of 
that  City  ^  —  I  clearly  proved  Mrs.  Barclay's  title  and  the  value 
of  the  Property  and  should  as  you  will  see  from  enclosed  Let- 
ter have  reC'  a  Compensation  therefor,  but  for  some  misinfor- 
mation given  the  Commissioners,  or  their  not  properly  under- 
standing the  merits  of  the  Claim  —  The  expression  used  by  the 
Commissioners  in  their  Letter  (written  by  a  pro  tempore  Sec- 
retary of  theirs)  is  "  They  find  Major  Barclay  disposed  of  his 
Ground  right  after  the  division  of  the  Prop(>rty  "  —  I  have  ever 
lamented  in  investigating  the  Claims  of  the  Loyalists  the  Com- 
missioners had  not  devised  a  better  mode  to  ascertain  the  jus- 
tice of  each  Loyalists  Claim  than  what  they  adopti^d.  It  is 
true  they  first  gave  each  of  us  a  fair  candid  and  impartial 
hearing,  but  from  this  alone  I  am  convinced  their  Judgements 
were  not  made  up,  but  that  they  from  time  to  time  procured 
private  information  and  that  ex  parte  —  This  must  have  been 
the  case  in  the  instance  I  now  represent  to  you  ;  and  I  lament 
the  vjentlemen  had  not  when  they  rec''  this  information,  com- 
plained to  one  of  the  Crown  officers  and  had  me  indited  for 
Perjury,  for  I  should  have  been  liable  to  the  Pains  thereof  if 
found  to  have  sworn  to  demands  I  had  no  claim  to  —  The  re- 
verse however  would  have  been  proved,  I  should  liave  rec''  my 
compensation,  their  informer  would  have  been  treated  with 
proper  contempt  and  perhaps  such  an  instance  would  have 
been  an  end  to  all  future  private  information  —  The  least  the 
Commissioners  could  have  done  on  this  occasion  would  have 
been  to  have  given  me  notice  and  told  me  unless  I  disproved 
the  information  I  should  receive  no  compensation  for  that  loss 
—  I  take  the  Liberty  to  request  you  will  endeavor  to  have  my 
aims  reviewed  by  some  mode  or  other  as  to  1 


by 

1  The  fire  broke  out  at  one  o'clock 
on  Saturday  morning,  September  21, 
177G.  It  began  near  Whitehall  Slip 
and  spread  fast  before  a  strong 
southerly  wind  up  the  westerly  side 
of  tlie  town  as  far  as  the  College 
An  account  is  given  in 

3* 


grounds 


or  other  as  to  this  point  —  It  is 

Lamb's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  Vol.  II,  p. 
135,  where  the  original  authorities 
are  fully  referred  to,  and  a  ma^)  is 
given  showing  the  extent  of  the 
burned  district.  Cadwallader  Col- 
den,  Mrs.  Barclay's  grandfather, 
died  the  same  day. 


^^ 


lit  'i 


A: 


=       I 


\' 


!M 


' 


38 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


a  matter  that  may  easily  bo  seen  from  looking  over  my  claims 
in  the  reports  from  Halifax  there  the  whoh^  will  appear;  and  I 
trust  the  Lords  of  the  treasury  will  when  once  they  find  I  have 
by  mistake  been  deprived  of  a  sum  the  Commissioners  in- 
tended to  report  me;  generously  order  me  payment  —  In  1776 
the  property  at  White  Ilall  I  claimed  for  was  burnt;  for  you 
are  to  observe  I  only  claimed  for  the  buildings  not  the  Ground 
—  It  was  impossible  to  suj)pose  I  could  conceive  that  could  be 
burnt  —  Now  admitting  I  had  sold  the  Ground  after  the  fire, 
does  it  follow  from  thence  I  was  repaid  for  the  Loss  sustained 
in  the  buildings,  or  could  the  selling  of  the  Ground  oust  my 
claim  for  compensation  of  the  buildings  —  The  fact  however 
is  otherwise.  I  never  disposed  of  the  ground  until  the  last  of 
the  war.  In  1780  or  1781  I  do  not  recollect  which  Mr.  John 
De  Lancey  another  Brother  of  Mrs.  Barclays  asked  me  to  sell 
him  my  Wife's  share  —  I  told  him  I  did  not  know  what  it  was 
worth,  but  that  he  might  take  the  Possession  and  give  me 
whatever  he  gave  the  other  Brothers  &  Sisters  —  Nothing  more 
ever  passed  than  this  and  altho  he  might  in  1783  at  the  peace 
have  lent  Mrs.  Barclay  some  money  on  an  expectation  of  a 
purchase  of  her  shai'e,  it  never  was  compleated  until  this  last 
Autumn  —  I  now  send  you  only  a  copy  of  the  Secretaries  Let- 
ter in  order  that  you  may  lay  it  before  the  Lords  of  the  trea- 
sury and  if  the  original  is  necessary  and  my  own  and  Mr.  John 
De  Lanceys  affidavit  to  prove  when  I  disposed  of  the  Ground 
and  how  many  years  after  the  Loss  was  incurred  —  Let  me 
know  and  they  shall  be  sent  —  I  feel  myself  much  hurt  at  this 
part  '  the  Claim  being  rejected  as  it  in  some  measure  reflects 
on  racity  and  Candor;  which  except  in  this  instance 

jr  been  doubted  —  If  it  can  bo  ascertained  the  Commis- 
.ers  have  been  guilty  of  a  palpable  mistake,  I  trust  the 
treasury  will  ever  be  ready  to  rectify  it  — 


'ff    'I 


^ 


i 


EAULIF.U  YEARS 


:]0 


lid  I 
lavo 
4  in- 
177G 

•you 

ound 
ddbe 
efire, 
taincd 
istmy 
)wcvcr 
last  of 
r,  John 
.  to  sell 
t  it  was 
rive  me 
ng  more 
be  peace 
ion  oi  a 

this  last 
ti'ies  Let- 

the  trea- 
Mr.  John 
Ground 
Let  nie 

,rt  at  this 

•e  reflects 
instance 

,  Conimis- 
trust  the 


FROM    JOFIN    WATTS. 

Now- York,  20  Aii{,m.st,  1792. 
Dkar  Sir  : 

I  lately  was  favored  with  your  Lc^tter  of  the  2im1.  July  last 
and  delayed  answeriui;  it  till  1  could  iulonn  you  Mmt  tlu;  sale 
of  your  Jersey  Land,  wliieli  was  then  I^eIulillJ,^  should  be  car- 
ried fully  into  execution,  tho'  I  had  taken  for  ^'ranted  that  Mr. 
('I'eifjfhton  to  whom  you  had  written  in  respect  to  that  lousi- 
ness would  hnve  made  yon  acquainted  fi-oni  tinu'  to  time  of  the 
State  of  it.  This  land  has  been  sold  for  £110.  The  numey 
r(!c,'d  l)y  Mr.  Crei^'hton  &  j)aid  by  him  to  Childs,  who  has  exe- 
(aited  a  Bond  of  Indemnity  in  the  manner  you  desired. 

The  Corps  you  are  now  raising  will  not  I  presume  make  it 
requisite  for  you  to  leave  Home  and  in  course  you  will  derive 
every  advantage  without  much  inconvenience. 

The  People  in  general  of  these  States  are  much  attached  to 
the  (-aus(;  of  France,  altho'  the  excesses  committed  there  in  the 
prosecution  are  much  lamented.  However  our  Government  as 
well  as  the  People  in  general  arc  for  a  strict  Neutrality  <!onsis- 
tent  with  our  existing  Treaties.  We  have  for  a  fortnight  past 
had  a  large  f  reneh  fleet  in  our  Harbour,  in  which  many  of  the 
unluippy  peo])le  from  the  Cape  have  come  Passengers  who  are 
in  the  most  distres.sed  Situation  and  nnist  be  provided  for  at 
the  Expejise  of  the  Publick.  The  Crews  of  the  fleet  have  con- 
ducted themselves  in  the  most  peaceable  manner  towards  the 
Citizens.- 

The  Lots  in  th:  ■  City  have,  as  you  mention,  risen  greatly  in 
Value,  much  beyond  what  I  had  any  expectation  of,  I  own  no 
])roperty  in  the  City  except  the  House  I  live  in.^  House 
Rents  &  the  expcnccs  of  Living  in  this  City  have  for  some 

1  .lolm  Wiitts  liad,  notwithstand-  Congress.    He  died   in   1830,   aged 

ing  his  close   eonnection  with  the  eiglity-seven. 

chief  Loyalists,  maintained  aneutral  -Foranaeccucof  the  arrival  of  the 

position  during  the  lievohition.    At  French  fleet  bringing  refugees  from 

the  date  of  this  letter  he  was  Siieakcr  Cape  Francois  (llayti)  see  McMas- 

of  the  New- York  Assembly.     From  ter'sHist.ofU.S.,Vol. II. pp.  123-125. 

17!)3  to  179;")  ho  was  a  member  of  ■'  No.  2  Broadway. 


<  ■-»»a 


'  I. 


::l  : 


i;' 


:  i 


40 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


tini(>  past  1)0011  constantly  on  the  Riso  and  it  is  nnacconntalvlo 
I[ow  Pooplo  atfoi'd  to  live  in  tlio  niannor  tlioy  do.  However  so 
it  is,  that  we  see  no  Diniinution  of  the  Style  of  Living:  and 
hear  of  no  Failures. 

INfy  family  are  all  well,  I  have  boon  (but  not  with  my  <jood 
will)  in  town  the  whole  suininer  which  hitherto  has  ])een  nn- 
eonuMoiily  hot.  As  I  am  not  in  Business  It  would  not  only  he 
Agreeable  l)ut  an  object  of  a'conomy  to  me  (v.hic^h  you  know  is 
material  in  a  large  family)  to  reside  in  the  Country,  which  my 
Avife  does,  about  (»  or     Months  in  the  year. 

I  have  not  heard  from  my  l^rothor  Stephen  ^  for  two  years 
past,  but  fre(jueiitly  hear  of  him  find  that  he  is  well.  I  am  in 
the  bad  Tral)it  of  not  writing  any  one,  unless  Business  makes 
it  recpiisite,  in  (!ourse  our  ('orrespoudence  is  very  much  Inter- 
rupted. 

I  am  etc. 

John  Watts. 


TO   IMU.    FTNDLAYSON. 

Annapolis  28  Aus'  17!»;{ 
Sir 

The  Rev''  D""  Brown  of  Halifax  has  advised  me  to  write 
you  on  the  subject  of  procuring  from  Scotland  a  (lentleman 
as  a  private  Tutor  to  my  Children,  and  has  been  so  good  as  to 
promise  to  send  this  under  Cover  to  you  stating  the  (^jiiver- 
satioii  and  describing  what  kind  of  Person  I  wish. —  Con- 
vinced thiit  (cultivation  of  the  human  mind,  is  one  of  the  first 
Objects  of  your  Wish,  I  trust  you  will  not  deem  this  trouble- 
some or  inip(n'tinent,  altho'  ii;  comes  from  a  person  who  nei- 

1  Sti'pht^ii  Watts  was  Miijor  ill  Sir  or  throe  days   after  tlic  battle  by 

Johu  Joliiisou's  lioyal  Greens,  a  de-  some  Indian  scouts,  and  earried  to 

taehnient  of  wliicli  lie  coininaiided  the  Biitisli  eauip.     lie  subsequently 

at  the  battle  of  <Jriskaiiy,  where  ho  went  to  England,  where  he  married 

was  desperately  woundeil  and  left  a  Miss  Nugent,  and  where  the  rest 

for  dead.     He  was  found  alive  two  of  his  life  was  spent. 


I 
I 


i  ■: 

!    • 

It 

I''    L 


EARLIER   YEARS 


41 


t 
1 


tliei'   liiis  or  probably  ever  will  have  the  jileasure   of  your 
A('(inaintanee. — 

In  Nova  Scotia  wo  have  two  public  Seniiuarios,  one  at  Hali- 
fax tlie  otlicr  at  Windsoi-,  both  of  which  are  tolerably  well  fitted 
with  Professors  and  tutors.  The  Expense  however  of  send 
\n<r  a  number  of  ('hildreu  to  either  of  those  places,  exceeds 
my  limited  Circumstanees;  and  in  this  Village  we  have  not 
even  a  decent  School,  wlicre  the  younger  Cliildreu  can  receive 
the  principal  of  Edui^atiou — I  have  10  Children,  six  of  whom 
are  of  Ages  fit  to  receive  Instruction,  and  the  two  eldest  of 
them  tolerably  advanced  in  Lattin,  Geography,  Aritlnnetic 
&.  &.  and  am  au(!tious  they  should  have  their  education 
compleated  under  my  own  Roof,  as  being  less  expensive  and 
at  tlie  same  time  affording  me  a  better  opportunity  of  estal)- 
lisliing  their  morals  and  improving  their  nuuniers — Dr.  Brown 
tliiidvs  it  very  i)robaljle  you  may  procure  me  a  Gentleman 
agreeable  to  ni}'  wishes. —  The  utmost  sum  I  can  go  to  will 
be  thirty  pounds  Sterling  per  Annum  with  washing  V)ord  and 
lodging  in  my  family  —  The  Knglish,  Lattin  and  French 
Language  if  ])ossiblc,  I  wisli  my  ('hildren  to  be  well  founch'd 
in,  together  Avitli  a  good  Mathematical,  Geogi-a^'hical,  Astro- 
nomical ami  Historical  Education,  If  therefore  you  can  pro- 
vide for  me  a  jx'rson  duly  (pudified  to  teach  my  Children  as 
above  mentioned ;  ami  who  is  willing  to  come  at  the  salary 
mentioned  you  will  do  me  a  favor. —  The  (Jenf.leman  must  be  at 
the  expense!  of  liis  own  j)assage,  bnt  as  it  may  not  be  convenient 
for  hini  to  advance  the  money  I  now  enclose  you  a  draft  on  my 
agent  in  London  for  £25  Sterling  which  you  will  have  the 
goodness  to  pay  liim  in  advance  if  necessary  —  This  however 
you  may  add  by  way  of  inducement  that  in  case  Ihe  Gentleman 
remains  four  years  with  me,  I  Avill  repay  him  his  passage  money. 
— Dr.  Brown  thought  it  might  be  an  additional  inducenu^nt 
to  promise  my  interest  in  any  Church  or  Professorship  Pr(>- 
motion — The  (}entlenuin  may  at  all  times  depend  on  my  Lit- 
tle Interest  and  every  exertit)n  in  my  powei"  ifi  his  favor.  I 
should  liowever  be  wanting  in  Candor  if  I  did  not  at  the  same 
time  observe,  I  at  pri'sent  saw  very  little  Prospect  of  eitlier  in 
this  Province;  —  and  to  intreat  him  not  to  let  any  such  prom- 


•WJ» 


y:\ 


I  '•' 


i|! 


f  !; 


I 
f 


I 


42 


CORIIESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS   BARCIAY 


ises  bo  tli6  propondoratiiif?  weio-ht  in  his  dt'termination  to 
come  out.  Ships  bcloiiginj^  to  the  House  of  William  Forsyth 
&  Co  of  Halifax  Merchants  sail  every  Spring  and  Autumn  for 
Halifax  and  New  Brunswick  from  Glascow  and  Greenock,  the 
Gentleman  had  best  take  passage  in  one  of  them  being  cheaper 
and  more  convenient  than  coming  up  to  London  for  a  con- 
veyance and  crossing  to  St.  Johns  New  Brunswic  will  be  pref- 
erable to  Halifax ;  Annapolis  being  only  twelve  leagues  water 
carriage  from  St.  Johns  and  Halifax  a  distance  of  a  near  one 
hundred  and  forty  Miles  land  Carriage  and  double  that  by 
Avater — I  shall  only  add  that  your  good  Of1i(^es  in  procuring  a 
Gentleman  of  Genius  and  Aljility  agreeable  to  the  above 
description  will  grea<"'y  oblige 

Sir 
Your  very  obedi   it  and 
most  humble  Sci  vant 

Tho  Barclay 


I 


r    u 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    TRUE    RIVER    ST.    CROIX 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain 
had  declared  that  all  past  misunderstandings  and  dif- 
ferences were  forgotten,  and  that  the  intercourse  be- 
tween them  was  so  establLlied  as  to  secure  perpetual 
harmony  and  peace,  scarcely  ten  years  had  elapsed  be- 
fore the  two  countries  were  again  almost  at  war.  Per- 
haps the  real  cause  of  the  bitterness  of  feeling  lay 
rather  in  the  tremendous  possibilities  suggested  by  the 
French  Revolution  than  in  the  ostensible  grounds  of 
controversy ;  and  yet  these  were  numerous  and  serious 
enough  to  furnish  out  a  formidable  quarrel.  The  Eng- 
lish complained  that  the  debts  due  them  had  not  been 
paid,  and  that  confiscated  estates  had  not  been  re- 
stored; the  Americans  complained  of  the  carrying 
away  of  their  negroes,  of  interference  with  their  com- 
merce, of  the  impressment  of  their  seamen,  and  of  the 
failure  to  surrender  Detroit,  Buffalo,  and  Oswego  and 
other  western  posts;  while  the  parties  differed  as  to 
the  very  starting-point  for  the  boundary  between  their 
respective  possessions.  With  what  we  must  now  re- 
gard as  great  moderation  and  good  sense,  the  United 
States  agreed  to  a  treaty  which  gave  them  but  a  part  of 
their  demands,  and  left  other  questions  to  be  settled 
when  their  increasing  strength  should  compel  a  more 

13 


I  I 

i  It 


I 


:f 


f! 


1 

i\ 

; 

■   ii 

■« 

f     :. 

'■■     1 

•  1 

' 

li 


44 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


attentive  heaving.  The  general  settlement  of  the  ques- 
tion of  neutral  rights  and  the  impressment  of  seamen 
was  postponed.  The  disputes  as  to  boundaries,  British 
debts,  and  illegal  captures  were  submitted  to  arbitra- 
tion. The  western  posts  were  given  up.  Temporary 
regulations  for  commercial  intercourse  were  adopted. 

The  treaty  was  concluded  on  November  19, 1794,  and 
was  entitled  a  "  Treaty  of  Amity,  Commerce  and  Navi- 
gation " ;  but  it  has  been  generally  known  as  Jay's 
Treaty,  from  the  name  of  the  American  negotiator.  It 
met  with  extreme  disfavor  in  the  United  States.  Wash- 
ington hesitated  before  submitting  it  to  the  Senate ;  the 
Senate  ratified  it  only  after  long  debate  and  with  the 
suppression  of  one  of  its  articles ;  and  it  was  not  until 
October  28,  1795,  that  the  ratifications  were  finally 
exchanged. 

The  controversy  as  to  boundaries,  which  was  to  be 
partly  settled  under  this  treaty,  was  destined  to  last  for 
nearly  a  century,  for  it  was  not  until  1873  that  the  line 
between  the  British  possessions  and  the  United  States 
was  at  last  adjusted  in  its  full  extent.  Beginning  at 
the  eastern  end,  the  line  was  marked  out  from  point 
to  point  by  a  series  of  interesting  compromises  and 
arbitrations;  and  with  the  earlier  stages  of  this  long 
process  of  adjustment  Thomas  Barclay  was  intimately 
concerned. 

The  only  question  with  which  Jay's  Treaty  dealt  was 
the  starting-point  of  the  line  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 
The  treaty  of  1783  had  attempted  a  precise  definition  of 
the  boundary.  It  was  to  begin  at  "  the  north  west  an- 
gle of  Nova  Scotia,  viz.,  that  angle  which  is  formed  by 
a  line  drawn  due  North  from  the  source  of  the  St.  Croix 
River  to  the  Highlands";  and  it  was  to  run  thence 
"along  the  Highlands  which  divide  those  rivers  that 


I 


:| 


i 


t 


■•I 


:f 


i 


THE  TRUE  RIVER  ST.   CROIX 


45 


■-•(■ 


,'.J 


■:li 


It  was 

1 

coast. 

1 

ion  of 

i 

)st  all- 

1 

ied  by 

1 

Croix 

M 

whence 

M 

s  that 

"W 

empty  themselves  into  the  river  St.  Lawrence  from 
those  wliich  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean."  Tlie  eastern 
bonndary  of  the  United  States  was  to  be  a  line  "  drawn 
along  the  middle  of  the  river  St.  Croix,  from  its  month 
ill  the  bay  of  Fundy  to  its  Sonrce,  and  from  its  Source 
directly  North  to  tlie  aforesaid  highlands."  And  the 
first  point  to  be  settled  was :  "  what  river  was  truly  in- 
tended under  the  name  of  the  river  St.  Croix  1 " 

On  the  western  shore  of  the  bay  of  Fundy,  west  of 
the  St.  John's  River,  two  cousideraljle  streams  fall  in 
from  the  north.  The  easternmost  still  bears  the  Indian 
name  of  Magaguadavic,  and  it  was  this  which  the 
Ameiican  Government  claimed  as  the  true  St.  Croix. 
The  westei'iimost,  known  in  i'  ■  various  parts  as  the 
Schoodic  and  Chiputneticook,  vvas  the  one  on  which 
Great  Britain  insistc;);  and  the  matter  was  further 
complicated  by  the  fact  that  this  river  branches  out 
into  a  tangle  of  smaller  rivers  and  lakes,  so  that  if  this 
was  indeed  the  St.  Croix  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  fix 
its  source.  The  dilt'erence  of  opinion  involved  an  ex- 
tensive teriitory.  The  mouths  of  the  two  rivers  are 
some  nine  miles  apart,  while  the  northerly  lines  to  be 
run,  according  to  the  extreme  pretensions  of  the  two 
parties,  lay  full  fifty  miles  distant  from  each  other. 
The  territory  involved  in  this  dispute  covered  six  or 
seven  thousand  square  miles. 

By  the  fifth  article  of  Jay's  Ti-eaty  the  question  was 
referred  to  the  decision  of  three  Commissioners — one  to 
be  appointed  by  the  King,  one  by  the  President,  and 
one  by  agreement  between  the  two  first  named ;  and  in 
case  they  were  unable  to  agree  the  third  Commissioner 
was  to  be  selected  by  lot.  The  Commissioners  were  to 
make  a  written  award,  deciding  which  was  the  River  St. 
Croix  intended  by  the  treaty  of  1783  and  describing  it 


■'■'^im 


46 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   TIK^MAS   BARCLAY 


tliroiijT^liout,  and  ])articulMrly  tixinj^  tlio  latitudi!  and 
loiigitiido  of  its  inoiitli  and  of  its  sonvce.  TIk^  (commis- 
sioners vvoi'o  to  meet  at  Halifax,  and  were  euipowei'ed 
to  appoint  a  secretary  and  employ  such  snrveyoi's  or 
other  persons  as  they  should  jud^e  necessary.  And 
both  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  agreed  "to 
consider  such  decision  as  final  and  conclusive,  so  as 
that  the  same  shall  never  thereafter  l)e  called  into 
question,  or  made  the  subject  of  dis|)ute  or  differen<!e 
between  them." 

Under  this  article  of  the  ti'eaty,  the  Kinji;  appointed 
Thomas  Barclay;  GciK^'al  Washini>-ton  appointed  David 
Howell ;  *  and  the  two  ajjjreed  upon  Eg'bert  Benson  - 
as  the  third  Commissioner.  The  C<mimission  met 
for  the  first  time  at  Halifax  on  Aui2;ust  22,  179(1.  A 
unanimous  agreement  was  finally  reached,  and  the 
award  of  the  Commission  was  signed  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  on  October  25,  1798. 


I 


'^t 


iV 


t 


■k 


FROM   LORD    GRENVILLE, 


Sir 


Downing  Street,  March,  17!)fi. 


Herewith  you  will  receive,  a  Commission  aiuler  the  Great 
Seal  appointing  you  His  Majesty's  Commissioner  for  the  pur- 


1  David  HowoU  was  boru  in  New 
Jersey,  January  1,  1747,  and  was 
graduated  at  Princeton  in  17G6.  He 
became  Professor  of  Mathematies 
and  Natural  History  at  Brown  Uni- 
versity in  1701),  and  subsequently 
studied  law  and  lectured  upon  it. 
Ho  was  a  member  of  Congress  from 
1782  to  1785,  and  Attorney-General 
and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Rhode  Island.     He  died  in  1820. 

-  Egbert  Benson  was  born  in  Nevv- 


York,  June  21,  1740,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  King's  College  in  170r). 
H(>  was  tlio  first  Attorney-!^ eneral 
of  New-York,  member  of  Congress 
from  1784  to  1788,  nnd  afterward 
Judge  of  t)i(^  IT.  S.  Circuit  Court  and 
of  the  N.  Y.  Supreme  Court.  He 
died  in  ISDIi.  His  faiher,  as  wo  have 
seen,  was  a  lialf  brother  of  Thomas 
Barclay's  mother;  so  that  he  and 
Barclay  were  first  cousins  of  the  half 
blood. 


'      1 


1 

and 

luis- 

ei-ed 

'■-^ 

[•s  or 

.J 

And 

■A. 

"  to 

^0  as 
into 

1 

rencc 

tiutod 

"^ 

David 

;A 

nsoii  ■■ 

I   met 

1 

1 

)(;.     A 

d  the 

deiu'o, 

THE  TRUE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


47 


17!K). 

Great 
le  pur- 

s  gvailu- 
iii  170;'). 
-Oueral 
Congress 

:it't  orwiird 
Joiii't  iuul 

ourt.     IIo 
s  wo  have 
Thomas 

it  ho   and 

of  tlie  hall' 


pose  specified  in  the  ftftli  arti<'le  of  the  Treaty  of  Amity,  Coni- 
iiicrcc  and  Navigation  (ioiicluded  witli  tlie  United  States  of 
America  on  the  19th  of  Noveniber  1794.  1  likewise  transmit 
yon  His  Majesty's  Instructions  for  tlie  regulation  of  your  con- 
duct in  the  situation  in  which  you  are  to  be  employed. ^ 

I  am,  etc., 

Grenville. 

TO   LOUD   (UJENVILLE. 

New  York, 2  :50th  lAlay,  17UG. 
My  Lord 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  j'our  Lord- 
ships Dispatch  of  the  Oth  of  March  last  with  His  INIajesty's 
Commission  under  the  great  seal  appointing  me  His  Majestys 
Commissioner  for  the  purposes  specified  in  the  lifth  article  of 
ttie  Treaty  of  Amity  Commerce  and  Navigation  conchuled  be- 
tween His  Majesty  and  the  united  states  of  Amei'ica  on  the 
19"'  of  Nov'.  1791;  and  the  Roval  Instructions  under  His  Ma- 
jestys  privy  Seal  for  my  guidan(;e  and  direction  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  said  Commission. 

I  intreat  your  Lordship  to  lay  at  His  Majestys  feet  my  most 
luunble  acknowledgements  for  this  instance  of  his  gracious 
Favor,  and  beg  I  may  be  permitted  to  assure  your  Lordship 
that  I  shall  by  a  punctual  and  diligent  attention  to  the  duty 
committed  to  me  endeavor  to  merit  this  nuirk  of  His  Majestys 
Confidence. 

Priv9.te  Business  has  led  me  to  this  (^ity ;  at  which  place  I 
received  your  Lordshi})s  dispatch  by  the  nuirch  paccpiet  on  the 
10"'  of  this  Month,  and  conceiving  an  interview  with  M'. 
Liston  his  Majestys  Plenipotentiary  residing  in  Philadelphia 
necessary  previous  to  my  departure  for  Halifax,  I  immediately 
took  post  for  that  purpose.    M"^  Liston  had  nothing  particular 

1  Those   instructions   are   purely  tho  joi'sons  named  in  the  act  of  at- 

formal ;  thoy   boar  date   Mareli   f),  taindor  ol'  1779,  and  who  Iiad  tliore- 

179(5.  liy  been  banisliod  from  tho  State, 

-  By  an  act  of  tlio  New-York  Leg-  wore  perinittod  to  return   and   re- 

islaturc,  Chap.  G8,  Laws  of  179-,  all  i-ido  within  it. 


»!l 


f  I 


■  '\ 


Hi 


' ' 


m 


48 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   HARCLAY 


to  communicate:  But  M'.  Bond  has  furnislicd  me  with  a  ('opy 
of  a  Brief  or  Case  which  he  assures  me  is  mu(!}i  relied  on  by 
the  American  Ministers  as  conclusive  in  favor  of  the  United 
States  in  deciding  the  (juestion  relative  to  the  River  St.  ('roix: 
('opies  of  which  M'.  Liston  tr.msmitted  to  yoni-  Lordsliip  while 
I  was  in  Philadelphia.  If  M'.  Bonds  information  is  correct  the 
possession  of  this  case  will  be  of  material  (Mmseciuence,  for  al- 
thouj,'li  it  contains  many  stul)born  facts,  (at  least  stated  as 
such)  still  a  knowledge  of  the  defence  intcnided  to  be  set  up 
will  enable  me  to  provide  ap])licable  })roof  to  rebut  the  Claim. 
On  a  perusal  of  the  paper  alluded  to,  if  anything  occnirs  to 
your  Lordship,  which  you  may  deem  of  conseriuence  I  shall 
esteem  it  a  favor  to  be  honored  with  your  sentiments 
thereon. 

General  Knox,  the  Commissioner  originally  appointed  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States  liaviiig  declined  acting, 
another  has  been  named,  Avhose  assent  had  not  arrived  when 
I  was  in  Philadelphia.  The  American  Secretary  of  State  has 
been  notified  of  my  being  Commissioned  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain  and  M''.  Liston  will  forward  me  the  earliest  informa- 
tion of  tlie  American  Commissioners  appointment  and  ac- 
ceptance. 

I  shall  repair  without  loss  of  time  to  Halifax  and  there  wait 
the  arrival  of  the  American  Commissioner,  collecting  in  the 
mean  time  every  document  and  information  that  may  be  use- 
ful in  deciding  the  question  his  Majesty  has  been  pleased 
to  commit  to  my  Charge. 


FROM   ME.  PICKERING   TO   MR.   LISTON. 

Department  of  State,  May  27th,  1796. 
Sir, 

I  had  the  honour  to  suggest  to  you,  in  conversation,  that  it 
was  desirable  that  Mr.  Barclay  and  Mr.  Howell  should  see 
each  other  })efore  the  departure  of  the  former  for  Halifax. 
Mr.  Howell's  commission  will  be  transmitted  to  him  by  to- 
morrow's post ;  and  I  entertain  no  doubt  of  his  accepting  it. 


THE  TRUR   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


49 


I  Copy 
on  by 
Jnited 
Croix: 
">  while 
ec't  tlic 
for  al- 
\i('d  as 
sot  up 
Claim, 
curs  t<^ 
I  shall 
timents 

nted  by 
act  inn;, 
m\  when 
tate  has 
)f  Great 
mforraa- 
and  ae- 

lere  wait 
^  in  the 
V  he  use- 
pleased 


Altlioujxli  the  Article  of  the  Treaty  relative  to  the  River  St. 
Croix  (the  object  of  their  aiipointnient)  indicates  that  the  first 
nieetinf?  to  (^ointnenco  the  cixecution  of  their  Commissions 
should  be  at  Halifax;  yet  this  is  not  indispensable;  and,  as 
Mr.  Hartilay  is  at  New  York,  a  previous  meetinjT  between  him 
&  Mr.  Howell  will  be  easy,  and  certainly  useful.  Perhaps 
they  maj'  ajjree  on  the  third  (Commissioner:  or  if  not,  they 
can  chuse  one  as  the  Treaty  directs.  Should  they  at  the  pro- 
posed meeting  hit  on  the  tliird  Commissioner,  then  the  whole 
Commission  may  aj)point  a  Secretary,  and  Surveyors,  and  de- 
termine on  the  otlier  persons  whom  it  will  be  necessary  to 
employ.  Kven  if  the  third  Commissioner  should  not  be  thus 
chosen,  it  would  seem  expedient  for  Mr.  Barclay  and  Mr. 
Howell  to  ai^ree  on  a  lit  person  for  the  Secretary ;  but  espe- 
cially, and  what  is  of  the  most  nniterial  consequence,  on  a  ninn 
of  Science  to  as(^ertain  with  precision  the  latitudes  and  longi- 
tudes of  the  mouth  &  the  source^  of  St.  Croix ;  and  whojn, 
with  his  astronomical  apparatus,  it  may  be  most  convenient 
to  take  from  the  United  States. 

You  will  be  so  obliging  as  to  intimate  these  ideas  to  Mr. 
Barclay,  as  I  will  to  Mr.  Howell. 

I  have,  etc., 

Timothy  Pickering. 


TO   MK.  LISTON. 


1,  1796. 

n,  that  it 
luld  see 
Halifax. 

m  by  to- 
'pting  it. 


$ 


New  York,  7"'  June  1796. 
Sir: 

I  am  honored  with  your  dispatch  of  the  S**  Instant,  inclos- 
ing a  copy  of  a  letter  from  the  Amei-ican  Secretary  of  State, 
proposing  an  interview  between  M""-  Howell  the  American 
Commissioner  and  myself  previous  to  my  departure  for 
Halifax. 

It  is  probable  you  will  recollect  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  in  Philadelphia,  I  expressed  my  wishes  to  that 
effect  and  requested  you  to  give  me  the  earliest  notice  of  the 
ai)pointment  that  I  might  communicate  to  the  American  Com- 


/^. 


lit! 


50 


(^ORRRSPONDENCK  OF   THOMAS   BARnLAY 


■:fl' 


V,     I 


missioncr  my  boin};  nt  prcsoiil,  in  tliis  City,  ntid  nfjreo  on  some 
place  for  a  meeting'  Ix'foro  my  I'clnrn,  concoivinj^  it  niijjclit  ox- 
pcdiie  tlu'  comjtlotion  of  the  ol)je(^t  comiiiittcd  to  onr  deti^"- 
mination  and  in  the  hopt;  that  I  ini^lit  have  tlie  ph-asjiro  of 
his  Company  to  Halifax.  T  shall  thiuvfore  the  r,i  >in(!nt  I  am 
mad(^  ac([uainted  l)y  you  of  M'  Howell's  aeceptation  of  the  a])- 
pointnient,  write  him  r<'spectin<;  my  return  to  Nova>  S<M)tia 
and  prott'or  him  an  interview  either  here  or  at  Rhode  Island 
which  ever  to  him  may  ))e  most  agreeable. 

WJiatever  my  own  sentiments  nuiy  be  i'es[)ectinf;  the  con- 
struction of  that  ])art  of  the  fiftii  Article  of  the  treaty  which 
dii-ects  Commissioners  therein  nnnicd  to  meet  at  Halifax;  I 
find  myself  so  limited  ]>y  the  Instructions  fi'om  his  Majesty, 
that  I  cannot  officially  proceed  on  the  Commission,  liefore  I 
meet  the  American  (Commissioner  at  the  [ilace  agreed  on  in 
the  fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty.  Indeed  it  would  be  impro])er 
for  many  reasons.  The  interview  therefore  that  I  sliall  pro- 
pose to  Mr.  Howell,  will  be  <  f  a  private  nature;  in  whi(!h  we 
will  freely  communicate,  anr.  in  all  pro])ability  chalk  the  out- 
lines of  our  future  proceedi'igs,  and  come  to  some  determiim- 
tion  respecting  the  nonuuation  of  a  third  Commissioner,  Sec- 
retary, Surveyoi's  &c.  &c. 


TO   MR,   HAMMOND.' 

Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia  12  July  1796. 

{Vrivaie.) 
Dear  Sir 

I  wrote  you  from  Philadelphia  on  the  25th  and  from  New 
York  on  the  30tli  of  May  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  your 
very  friendly  letter  of  the  Gth  of  March  and  requesting  your 
acceptance  of  my  warmest  acknowledgment  for  recommend- 
ing me  to  his  Majesty  and  Lord  Grenville  for  the  appointment 

1  George  Hammond  —  at  this  time  secretary  during  the  nep,otiations  in 
Under-Secretary  of  State  for  For-  Paris,  and  British  Minister  to  the 
eign  Affairs.   He  had  been  Hartley's    U.  S.  from  1791  to  17!)r). 


I 

J 


THE  TRUE    HIVKR    ST.   t'ROIX 


51 


Now 

yoiir 

your 

imend- 

itment 

btious  in 
to  tlie 


wherewith  tlinuif^li  your  tViciulship  T  liave  been  honored.  In 
di.scliarf<'e  of  the  trust  rejio.sed  in  me  in  aiUlition  to  every  othei" 
consideration,  I  shall  endeavor  to  merit  your  approbation  and 
to  afford  you  the  pleasing  satisfaction  that  your  good  offices 
have  not  been  improperly  exerted  in  niy  favor. 

A  D  lav  has  been  occasioned  on  the  i)art  of  the  Americans 
by  (xciieral  Knox  who  was  originally  named  by  the  President 
as  the  C(jmmissionei-  on  the  part  of  the  united  states  de(;lining 
to  accept  the  office.  I  am  told  he  assigned  many  forcible  rea- 
sons, among  which  was  his  being  interested  in  the  (piestiou. 
In  consequence  of  his  declining  to  serve  Mr.  Howel  of  the 
State  of  Rlutde  Island  was  ajjpointed,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
I6th  of  .lune  that  1  was  informed  through  JNIr.  Liston  of  his 
acceptance.  It  was  Mr.  Listons  wish  ms  well  as  the  American 
Secretary  of  State  that  Mr.  Howell  and  myself  should  have  an 
interview  previous  to  my  return  to  Nova  Scotia.  This  1  read- 
ily assented  to,  and  accordingly  met  him  at  Bo.ston  on  the  27th 
of  June.  At  that  meeting  several  persons  were  named  as 
a  third  I'ommissioner.  Mr.  Howell  alleged  ignorance  of  the 
Characters  of  the  Gentlemen  I  proposed.  Amongst  those  he 
named  there  were  three  either  of  whom  I  told  him  I  would 
agree  to  nominate,  Judge  Benson  of  New  York  who  I  fancy 
you  recollect  when  lie  wus  a  member  of  Congress — a  M'  Mil- 
ledge  of  this  province,  and  M'  Antil  of  Lower  Canada.  M' 
Howell  liowever  declined  the  nomination,  until  he  had  con- 
sulted the  American  Ministers.  He  also  informed  me  as  his 
appointment  was  unexpected,  he  wt)uld  not  be  prepared  to 
meet  me  in  Halifax  before  the  15"^  of  August.  I  really  fear 
from  what  I  discovered  at  the  interview  we  sliall  be  compelled 
to  leave  the  api)ointment  of  a  third  Commissioner  to  the  acci- 
dental determination  of  a  draft.  We  have  therefore  agreed  to 
name  three  able  and  respectable  Characters  on  each  side  out 
of  which  the  (Apposing  party  respectively  is  to  strike  the  names 
of  two  from  each  list  and  the  two  remaining  names  to  be  put 
into  a  box  and  one  drawn  oiit  for  the  +hird  (Jonmussiouer.  I 
conceived  this  the  least  exceptionable  mode  in  the  event  of  our 
not  mutuall}'  agreeing  on  a  ('ommissioner. 

I  am  apt  to  think  there  will  be  a  necessity  of  procuring  some 


-1_J 


62 


CORHFOSI'ONDKNCE  OP  THOMAS   BAROLAY 


documonts  from  Ktif^liiiid.  T  shall  not  1k)Wov(M'  trouble  his 
Majestys  iMinistcrs  until  I  find  tlioni  al).s<)luti'ly  n('(res.sary  and 
that  they  cannot  ho.  procured  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
M'-  Chipnian  the  Solicitor  (Icneral  of  the  province  of  New 
Brunswick  I  am  informed  is  appointed  A^ent  on  the  part  of 
Great  Britain.'  I  have  written  him  to  come  to  me,  and  expect 
his  arrival  hourly.  After  we  have  consulted,  we  shall  b(^  able 
to  know  what  proofs  are  wanting-  to  substantiate  our  claims. 
Accept  my  best  wishes  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  your- 
self and  M"  Hammond  and  family. 


FROM   MR.   BOND.- 

Fhiladelpliia  27  July,  1796. 

{Pt'ivafe  ami  confident ial.) 

My  dear  Sir, 

I  repaired  to  New  York,  as  T  told  You  I  should,  previously 
to  the  Departure  of  the  l*a(!ket,  of  this  Month,  and  was  not  a 
little  disappointed  to  find  You  had  set  out  for  Boston,  a  con- 
siderable Time  sooner  than  You  expected. 

It  will  occur  to  You,  at  once,  upon  examining  the  Documents 
produced,  on  the  Part  of  the  United  States,  that,  in  the  Exe- 
cution of  Your  Duty  in  ascertaining  the  true  River  St.  Croix, 
you  will  have  very  little  Difficulty.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
recur  to  the  Extract  I  gave  You,  from  the  Act  of  Parliam!  and 
to  compare  it  with  the  Notes  of  our  Historiographer,  to  be 
satisfied  that  there  is  not  the  least  Ground  to  suppose,  the 
Pretensions  of  the  United  States  are  founded  in  Justice. 


1  Ward  Chipniiui  was  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1770.  He  left  Boston 
with  the  King's  troops  in  177G,  went 
to  England,  and  returned  to  Amer- 
ica about  1778,  when  he  served  in 
various  military  capacities,  and 
doubtless    formed     Barclay's     ac- 


quaintance. At  tlie  peace  he  re- 
moved to  Nova  Scotia.  He  subso- 
(juently  filled  important  ofltices  in 
New  Brunswick,  aud  becaine  chief 
justice  and  president  of  that  colony. 
He  died  at  Predericton  in  18124. 

'^  Phineas  Bond,   British  Consul- 
General  for  the  Southern  States. 


I 


':t: 


jj-jji 


THE   TRFF,    KIVER   ST.   CHOIX 


53 


i'  and 
to  be 
the 


I  have  convinced  tlie  (Tonth'inaii  who  fnniishod  me  with  the 
niatpriiil  Paper,  of  which  You  are  in  Possession,  that  so  far 
from  impeaching?  our  aneiont  Hounchiry,  all  that  lie  has  col- 
lected, serves  manifestly  to  (H)ntirm  it. 

It  seems  the  Objei^tion,  first,  originated  in  a  Suggestion 
made  by  (lov'-  Sullivan,'  that  the  true  River  St.  (-roix  was 
much  to  the  Eastward  of  the  River,  which  had  l)een  consid- 
ered as  the  Boundary  of  the  United  States.  In  order  to  es- 
tablish this  Idea,  the  learn«Ml  (icntleman,  in  a  Book,  lie  has 
lately  publisluMl,  has  prepared  a  Map  in  which  He  has  given  a 
new  &  unheard  of  Name  to  the  real  River  St.  Croix,  &  has 
called  a  little  Inlet,  on  the  East  Side  of  Passamaquaddi  Bay, 
St.  Croix  River. 

The  Fallacy  of  all  this  is,  easily,  detected,  by  examining  all 
the  ancient  Maps,  which  designate  the  Situation  of  St.  ('roix 
River,  to  be  on  the  Wpsf  side  of  Passiniaciuaddi,  (whicdi  Situ- 
ation the  Act  of  Parliament,  which  establi.shed  the  Bounda- 
ries between  the  Provinces  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  Nova 
Scotia,  expressly  recognizes.)  whereas  (tov'"  S.,  to  favor  his 
Purpose,  has  placed  the  River  St.  Croix  on  the  East  side  of 
that  Bay.  This,  of  itself,  ap[)ears  to  me  to  ))e  conclusive.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  get  his  Book  here.  I  saw  it  for  a  IMo- 
ment,  and  think  it  is  called  the  History  of  the  Province  of 
IMaine.  It  was  publislied  last  Year;  —  I  think  You  ought  to 
have  it,  and  shall  direct  the  King's  Consul,  at  Boston,  to  pro- 
cure it,  and  send  it  on  to  you,  by  the  Gentleman,  who  conveys 
this  Letter  to  You. 

I  have  some  Reason  to  beli(^ve  that  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  begins  to  be  convinced  there  is  no  Meaning  in 
the  Claim  it  has  instituted,  &  does  not  intend  to  urge  it,  very 
violently. 

Our  Historiographer,  is  a  little  anxious  about  his  Notes ;  —  I 

1  Jameti  Sullivan,  then  Attorney- 
General  of  Atassachusetts.  Tho  book 
referri'il  to  is  Sullivan's  History  of 


;.'ou8ul- 


the  District  of  Maine,  published  in 
1795.  Bond's  error  in  referring  to 
Siillivan  as  "Governor"  was  pro- 

4A 


phetic,  as  he  was  elected  to  that 
office  in  Massachusetts  in  1807.  As 
to  Sullivan's  share  in  this  business, 
see  Chap,  xiv  of  Amory's  Life  of 
Sullivan. 


J — L 


54 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


have  assured  him  tliat  tliey  can,  in  no  [xissible  F]vont,  ever  he 
brought  to  Light ;  and  tliat  they  are  only  to  serve,  to  furnish 
References  to  those  Documents  He  has  compih'd,  wliich  so  ir- 
refragably,  decide  the  Justice  of  our  J'retensions. 

I  have  a  Chance  of  collectin«jf  s(»nie  other  Information,  very 
shortly,  of  which  I  shall  apprize  You  by  the  first  ^dfe  ('on- 
veyance. 

I  shall  be  happy  to  liear  you  have  received  this  Letter. 

Mr.  Liston  is  not  returned  from  the  Southward, —  I  write 

in  Haste.  I  am,  &e. 

P.  Bond. 


I 


i 


f 


i;ii 


FROM   MR.  BOND. 

Philiulelphia,  18  All-'.,  1700. 

{Priraff  &  Confidential.) 

My  dear  Sir: 

Inclosed  I  send  You  duplicate  of  my  Letter  of  the  27th  Ult: 
—  tho'  I,  sincerely,  hope  the  original  may  have,  long  since, 
reached  You;  as,  with  it,  you  would  probably  have  received 
Judge  Sullivan's  famous  History  of  the  I)istri(^t  of  Maine 
which  I  re(pu'sted  tlu;  King's  Consul  at  Boston  to  forward  to 
You,  by  the  Gentleman  to  whom  I  committed  the  Care  of  that 
Letter. 

From  the  Suggestions  of  this  Author,  as  I  have  told  You, 
all  this  Difficulty  respecting  the  true  Kivei-  St.  Croix  has 
arisen.  In  tlie  Ma})  He  has  prefixed  to  this  Notal)lc  Work, 
He  has,  not  only,  changed  the  Position  of  the  River  —  but  it's 
name; — giving  to  the  true  river  St.  Croix,  situate  on  the  WchI 
side  of  Passimaquaddy  Bay,  the  Name  of  Sclioodic  River,  and 
to  a  little  Inlet,  on  the  East  side  of  tho  Bay,  the  Name  of  St. 
Croix  River. 

As  the  Author  has  been  nominated  by  this  Government 
Agent  of  the  United  States  in  the  pending  Negotiation,  to  as- 
certain the  true  River  St.  Croix,  He  will,  independently  of  inter- 
ested Motives,  which  may,  perchancie,  have  warped  his  geo- 
grr«pliical  Judgment,  be  now  influenced  by  Pride,  &  a  nice 


>v? 


THE   TRUE   RIVER  ST.   CROIX 


fjfj 


Yon, 

:  lias 

Work, 

)ut  it's 

Wrsf 

er,  and 

ol'  St. 

•nnient 
to  as- 
' inter- 
is  geo- 
a  nice 


I 


i 


Sense  ot  literary  Honor,  in  uiaintainin^-  his  visionary  Posi- 
tions: Bnt  there  seems  to  he  no  (*hanee  of  his  sueeeeding, 
sinee,  ex(;lnsively  of  other  Means  of  l^'efntation,  with  which 
You  will  be  fnrnished,  I  take  it  for  granted,  an  actual  Survey 
of  th(^  spot,  nmst  fix  the  River  we  contend  for,  as  the  true 
River  St.  Croix,  namely,  that  River,  which  empties  itself  on 
the  Wt'sf  Side  of  PassiiiuKjuaddy  Bay: — The  original  De- 
scription of  the  Island,  &  River  St.  Croix,  seem  to  l)e  so  ac- 
em-ately  defiiu'd,  as  to  leave  lu  ^*arti(;le  of  Doubt  upon  the 
Subject.  After  various  Delays  cv  jJisappointments,  1  am,  at 
Length,  in  Train  of  obtaining,  shortly,  a  very  accurate  Detail 
of  every  historical  Fact,  which  can  serve  Us,  upon  this  occa- 
sion ;  which  is  also  extended  to  a  Refutation  of  all  Judge  Sul- 
livan's material  Positions. 

The  Purpose  of  my  troubling  You,  now,  is,  to  intimate  to 
You,  that  unless  You  shall  see  Your  Way,  perfectly  clear,  in 
ascertaining  the  grand  object,  which  so  nuuih  aifects  the  In- 
terests, as  well  as  the  Credit  of  His  Majesty's  Government,  it 
will  be  expedient  to  suspend  Conelusion  xipon  the  Point,  until 
You  shall  be  in  Possession  of  such  Doeuments,  as  will,  speed- 
ily, be  completed  here  :  For  this  purpose,  it  will  be  advisable, 
previously  to  your  leaving  Halifax,  (if  that  should  happen  this 
Autumn)  in  oi'der  to  explore  the  geograj)hieal  Situation  of  the 
two  Rivers,  to  tix  some  mode  l)y  which  a  safe  Correspondence 
can  be  maintained  with  You,  from  hence,  which  appears  tome 
to  be  most  practicable  thro'  the  Medium  of  the  King's  Consul, 
at  Boston,  with  whom  You  will  be  pleased  to  make;  the  proper 
Arrangements,  seasonably :  —  As  far,  however,  as  I  can  calcu- 
late, at  present.  You  may  count  upon  having  the  expected  De- 
tail, forwarded  to  you,  at  Halifax,  by  the  first  Mail:  —  any 
other  Mode  of  Conveyance  might  be  hazardous. 

In  convei'sing  with  the  Gentleman,  n'ho  prepared  the  nuite- 
rial  Paper  I  delivered  to  You,  I  soon  found  He  had  gone  upon 
a  mistaken  Idea  that  we  nit^ant  to  carry  the  Western  Boun- 
dary of  Nova  Scotia,  as  far  as  Kennibeck  River,  according  to 
the  former  l^retensions  and  Claims  of  the  French  upon  Aca- 
dia—  who  in  Virtue  of  Sir  \V"'  Alexandei-'s  Grant  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Nova  Scotia,  endeavor'd  to  engross  not  only  the  Prov- 


■\?' 


I   !  ' 


56 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


ince  of  Nova  Scotia,  but  also  that  portion  of  the  Plimouth 
(jrraut,  which  was  allotted  to  Him,  as  an  Individual  Member  of 
the  Company,  which  Portion  it  so  happened,  was  bounded  on 
the  East^  by  the  St.  Croix  River; — His  observations,  there- 
fore, tended  to  defeat  this  Westerly  Extension  of  the  Boun- 
dary of  Nova  Scotia  by  showing  that  Portion  of  the  Plimouth 
Company  Grant  assigned  to  S',  W"  Alexander,  and  bounded 
on  the  East  by  St.  Croix  River,  was,  as  well  by  the  Terms  of 
the  original  Grant,  as  from  prescriptive  Recognition,  within 
the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay.        I  am  «&c. 

P.  Bond. 


FROM   ME.   bond. 

Philadolpliia  29  Aug'  1786. 

{Private  and  Confidential.) 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  write  to  You  by  a  Conveyance,  upon  which  I  place  but  lit- 
tle Reliance  —  &  therefore  I  shall  say  hut  tittle.  Since  I  wrote 
to  You  on  the  18th  curr'-  I  have  procured  the  material  Paper, 
I  contemplated,  &  in  my  Opinion  it  clearly  establishes  all  we 
contend  for;  so  that  if  the  Commissioner,  on  the  Part  of  the 
United  States  should  not  accede  to  our  Claim,  in  it's  fxill  Ex- 
tent, You  will  find  ample  Means  to  establish  it :  In  that  Case 
an  actual  Survey  seems  indispensable,  which,  however  it  may 
be  attended  with  some  Fatigue,  will,  in  the  result  of  it,  most 
amply  repay  all  our  Labours.  By  the  next  mail  You  are  to  ex- 
pect all  the  Communications,  You  are  to  look  for  from  hence. 

I  am  &e.  P.  Bond. 


1 1 


• 


;M 


to  lord  grenville. 


Halifax  30  Aug'  1790. 
My  Lord — 

I  have  the  honiu"  to  inform  your  Lordship  that  on  Monday 
the  22nd  Instant  I  met  at  this  place  David  Howell  Esq'  the 


I 


THE   TRUE   RIVER  ST.   CROIX 


57 


niday 
the 


Commissioner  appoiut«Hl  on  the  part  of  the  united  States  of 
America  to  settle  tho  boundary  between  tlie  united  JStates  and 
His  Majestys  Province  of  New  Brunswic  under  the  flftli  arti- 
cle of  the  Treaty  of  Amity  Commerce  and  Navij:;ation  between 
His  Majesty  and  the  united  States  of  America  and  that  upon 
perusinj;^  his  Commission  I  find  it  dittV^rs  from  His  Majestys 
( 'ommission  to  me  as  your  Lordship  will  see  by  a  copy  of  it 
which  I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose.  In  the  Commission  to  Mr. 
Howell  the  President  of  the  united  States  expresses  himself  in 
these  words  "and  thereupon  with  the  other  Commissioners 
duly  sworn  to  proceed  to  decide  the  said  question  and  exactly 
perform  all  the  duties  conjoined  and  necessary  to  be  done  to 
carry  the  said  fifth  Article  into  compleat  execution";  while 
in  His  Majestys  commission  to  me  it  is  declared,  "We  will 
give  and  cause  to  be  given  full  force  and  effect  to  siu^h  final 
decision  in  the  premisses  as  by  our  said  Commissioner  together 
with  the  other  two  Commissioners  above  mentioned  or  the 
Major  part  of  the  said  three  Commissioners  shall  duly  be  nuide 
according  to  the  Provisions  of  the  said  Treaty." — Upon  dis- 
covering this  variance  I  communicated  with  Mr.  Howell  and 
requested  he  would  report  to  the  President  of  the  united  States 
the  construction  given  to  the  fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty  in  my 
Commission  from  His  Majesty  and  that  his  Commission  might 
be  so  amended  as  to  comport  with  mine. —  He  observed  that 
his  Commission  was  framed  in  the  words  of  the  fifth  Article 
and  that  he  did  not  feel  himself  at  liberty  to  suggest  an  altei-- 
ation  to  the  President,  neither  did  he  think  the  president  would 
make  any ;  he  at  the  same  time  assured  me  he  believed  it  the 
intention  of  the  contracting  powers  that  a  declaration  under 
the  hands  and  Seals  of  a  Majority  of  the  Commissioners  should 
be  final  and  conclusive,  that  this  was  not  his  opinion  alone,  but 
of  every  man  in  office  in  the  united  States  with  whom  he  had 
conversed  on  the  subject.'  After  this  declaration  and  from  a 
1  Notwitlistaiuling    Mr.  Howell's     179G,  Mr.  Lee  wrote  that  the  declHiou 


emphatic  assertiou,  it  was  a  fact 
that  the  Attorney-lTeueral  of  the 
United  States  entertained  the  oppo- 
site opinion.  Under  date  of  July  23, 


could  nut  be  nnido  by  a  majority  of 
the  Commissioners.  See  Opinions  of 
Atty.-Geus.,  Vol.  I,  p.  G6. 


f^^ 


li-  ! 


58 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   THOiAIAS   BARCLAY 


1 


'I      ' 


ffiflii 


WW 


conviction  tliat  the  very  words  of  the  Artich^  strongly  favor 
such  a  construction,  1  havt;  determined  to  proce(id  on  the  sub- 
ject referred  to  our  determination.  If  the  intention  of  the 
contracting'  parties  liad  been  tluit  tlie  wlioh;  of  tlie  Commis- 
sioners should  agTce  in  order  to  make  the  dechiration  valid 
and  inndiny",  they  would  have  named  two  or  four  ('onimissi(m- 
ers,  indeed  the  very  naming  of  a  third  (-ommissioner  imports 
that  the  acts  of  two  shall  prevail  where  the  three  are  not 
agreed.  Should  your  Lordship  differ  in  Sentiment  with  me 
my  commission  may  be  restri(;ted,  as  Mr.  Howell  has  agreed 
not  to  require  a  copy  until  the  declaration  is  engrossed  and 
ready  to  l)e  executed.  He  has  written  to  the  Americaii  Secre- 
tary of  State  for  a  certified  Copy  of  His  Commission  which 
shall  be  forwarded  to  your  Lordship  the  first  Pacquet  after  1 
receive  it. 

The  American  Commissioner  and  myself  after  several  Com- 
munications have  this  day  agreed  in  the  choice  of  Egbert  Ben- 
son of  the  City  of  New  York  Escf  as  the  third  Commissioner 
— A  (lentleman  of  Ability,  Candor  and  Integrity  and  in  whose 
inqtartlidity  I  have  the  utmost  coirfidence.  His  appointment 
will  be  forwarded  to  him  by  a  conveyance  which  sails  to-mor- 
row. The  Agents  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  and  the  united 
States  that  no  time  may  be  lost  will  proceed  immediately  to 
Pasamaqmuldy  to  effect  accurate  Surveys  of  the  two  Rivers  in 
dispute  the  Scoodiac  and  the  Magaguadavic. 

I  have  industriously  exerted  myself  since  I  had  the  honor  of 
receiving  his  Majestys  Commission  in  procuring  for  the  Con- 
sideration of  Mr.  Chipman  his  Majestys  Agent  such  papers 
proofs  and  documents  as  could  throw  light  upon  tlie  subject 
in  controvei'sy,  but  I  find  his  zeal  and  industry  in  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  duties  of  his  appointment,  and  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  subject  will  relieve  me  from  every  appre- 
hension that  anything  will  be  omitted  in  procuring  or  arrang- 
ing the  evidence  in  support  of  tlu;  Claim  of  the  British  (tov- 
ernment  which  can  in  any  degree  tend  to  elucidate  their  just- 
ness or  force  —  I  uiulerstand  fi'om  him  that  he  has  expressed 
to  Governor  Carleton  his  wish  to  be  furnished  with  Champ- 
lains  Voyages,  Purchases  Pilgrim  or  Collection  of  Voyages,  and 


Bl   ; 


THE   TKUE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


59 


i 


V 


L'Escarbot  as  in  tliom  or  some  of  them  is  contained  a.  particn- 
lar  desci'iption  of  the  Isle  of  St.  ('roix  resorted  to  and  named 
liy  the  Sienr  de  M(mts  in  1(504  from  whence  the  river  in  ques- 
tion took  its  name  and  whitOi  island  Mr.  Chipman  is  conlident 
from  tlie  description  of  it  in  some  extracts  from  L'Escarliot 
with  which  it  has  fortunately  been  in  my  power  to  furnish 
him,  he  has  discovered  upon  viewing  the  place  to  be  actually 
situated  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  River  which  is  claimed  on 
tlie  part  of  His  Majesty  to  l)o  tlu;  Jliver  St.  (-roix  truly  in- 
teuded  l)y  the  treaty  of  Peace.^  lie  iuforms  me  he  has  also 
requested  to  be  furnished  with  Copies  of  the  Acts  of  Parlia- 
ment of  Scotland  the  records  of  which  are  kept  in  the  Castle 
of  Edin])ur<i:h  by  which  the  two  Provinces  of  Alexandria  and 
Caledonia  into  wliicli  the  Country  of  Nova  Scotia  j^ranted  to 
Sir  William  Alexander  are  established  and  coniirmed,  as  he 
conceives  it  prol)a,blo  that  in  those  Acts  the  River  St.  Croix  may 
be  ascertained  by  a  more  particular  description  thau  the  (li-ant 
to  Sir  William  Alexander  contains  —  As  a  hearing'  of  the 
Agents  upou  the  ([uestion  will  be  deferred  until  tht^  Surveys 
are  compleated  of  the  Rivers  claimed  as  the  boundary  on  the 
part  of  tlie  respective  (lovernmeuts  there  will  be  time  without 
creating  any  additional  delay,  to  cause  him  to  be  furnislied 
with  these  Documents,  and  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  men- 


rough 

appre- 

rrang- 

^ 

1  Uov- 

' ''  '"■ 

V  just- 
ressed 
hamp- 

es,  and 

/| 

J| 

1  "  Qnittant  la  riviere  Siiinet  lean, 
ils  viiidi'tMit  sniviiiit  lii-  cote  a  viii^t 
lieui's  dc  la  cii  viie  graiidc  riviere 
(((ui  est  propv(>inoiit  iner)  on  ils  so 
eaniiiei'eii)  en  viie  petite  ile  size  mm 
milieu  (le  eette  riviere,  rpie  ledit 
sieur  Chanijtlein  avoit  estd  reeonoi- 
tre.  Et  la  voyant  forte  do  nature  et 
de  i'aeile  gii''->.  joint  que  la  saison 
coninien9oit  ,o  se  passer,  et  partant 
falloit  penser  do  se  loger  sans  plus 
courir,  ils  resolurent  de  s'y  iirreler. 
.  .  .  Et  d'autant  qu'a  deux  lieuos 
nu  dessus  il  y  a  des  ruisseaiix  (pii 
vienuent  eotntne  on  Croix  se  deehar- 
ger  duns  co  large  bras  de  mer,  cette 


ile  de  la  retraite  des  Fr!UH;ois  t'ut 
iippelee  JSainctk-Ckoix,  v  vingt- 
cinq  lieues  plus  loin  que  '.o  Port- 
Koyal.  .  .  .  Ladile  ilea  environ 
di'uiic  lieue  do  (our,  et  an  bout  du 
cote  do  la  nier  il  y  a  vn  tertre  et 
eoninie  vn  ilot  sejKUV',  oii  estoit 
place  le  canon  dudit  sieur  de  Monts, 
et  la  aussi  est  la  petite  ehappelle 
batie  a  la  Wauvage.  Au  pied  <rieelle 
il  y  a  des  monies  tant  que  e'est  nior- 
veilles,  les()uclles  oupeutamasserde 
basse  mer,  inais  olios  sont  petites." 
Lesearbot,  Histoire  de  la  Novvelle 
France,  Li  v.  IV,  Chaps,  iii  and  v. 


J L 


M' 


I 


>     '  i 


(' 


\  > 


I  ,1 


I 

1 1 1l! 


60 


CORRESPONDKNOR   OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


tion  it  for  your  Lordsliips  Considoration  lest  (xovornor  Carle- 
tons  hotter  should  not  ])e  forwarded  in  season  to  go  by  this 
Conveyance. 


FROM   MR.   BOND. 

Philadelphia  6  Sept'.  ITOfi. 

'  {Prirafe  cfe  Conjideufial.) 
Mv  DEAR  Sir, 

Inclosed  I  heg  leave  to  forward  to  You,  Duplicate  of  my 
Letter  of  the  29th  Ult ;  sent  by  a  Cartel  Ship,  &  written  at  the 
Monunit  of  her  Departure.  Having  now  a  much  safer  (^on- 
vevfincc  by  the  Packet,  I  can  with  more  Propriety,  enlarge 
upon  the  Nature  of  the  other  material  Paper  I  have  [)rocured, 
of  which  Mr.  Liston  has  been  in  Possession  some  days.  It  is 
rather  a  tedious  Compilation,  but  it,  undoubtedly,  discovers  a 
very  extensive  Knowdedge  of  Historical  Facts,  applied  to  the 
Subject,  (*on firming,  hj  ii  vast  variety  of  Documents  &  Obser- 
vations, the  Location  of  the  River  St.  Croix  —  and  clearly  re- 
fnting  all  that  has  been  said,  iipon  the  Point,  by  a  certain  Au- 
thor, who  is  raised  to  the  High  Station  of  Ag(mt  for  the  United 
States,  in  the  pending  Negotiation. 

Judging  from  the  vague  &  fallacious  Positions  which  this 
Author,  under  the  l<](Vcct  of  rooted  Prejudice,  or  of  Interest, 
has  thought  fit  to  advance,  we  have  little  to  exj)ect  from  the 
Candor  of  the  Man,  in  executing  the  Duty  assigned  to  Him, 
It  is  not  perhaps  too  much  to  impute  the  Dispute  as  to  the 
true  River  St.  Croix,  to  the  Author  of  the  History  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Maine,  encouraged  In  Persons,  who  have  sinistei' 
views  to  gratify,  by  extending,  the  i]astern  Boundary  of  the 
United  States  bej'ond  the  river  St.  Croix,  which  Great  Britain 
has  uniformly  considered,  as  the  Western  Boundary  of  the 
Province  of  Nova  Scotia  ;  and  whose  Features  are  so  well  des- 
ignated in  ancient  History,  (without  resorting  to  the  Acquies- 
cence of  the  Inha])itants  of  the  Vicinity,)  as  not  to  admit  of  a 
Doubt  on  this  Point,  at  this  late  Day. 


I 


THE  TRUE   RIVER  ST.   CROIX 


Gl 


My  })est  wislies  always  attend  You  —  may  Sucees.s  and  lic])- 
utation  I'csult  from  Your  present  Efforts 

I  am  &c.  P.  Bond. 


his 
erost, 

the 
llim, 

tht 

Dis- 
aster 
f  the 
•itain 
t'  the 

des- 
uies- 

of  a 


-'1 


^1 


■  + 


TO   MR.   TURNER.' 

Annapolis  18tli  October  179G. 
My  dear  Sir  — 

An  application  having-  been  nnide  to  me  hy  Mr  Schuyler 
Livingston  for  my  assent  to  liis  l)eiiii^  married  to  my  danj^li- 
ter,  who  liad  foi'  several  years  resided  with  luir  Aunt  at  New 
York  for  the  purpose  of  completing  her  edneation  —  1  ch'ter- 
miued  notwithstanding  my  friends  had  assured  me  the  con- 
nection was  advantageous  and  every  way  agrc^eable,  to  go  and 
judge  for  myself,  previous  to  giving  my  consent.- 

As  soon  therefore  as  tlie  Governor  had  adjourned  the  lioiise 
of  Assemblj'^  (about  the  middle  of  Ain-il  last)  I  embarked  for 
the  States,  on  board  the  Eai-l  of  Moira,  witli  wliieh  Sir  John^ 
had  politely  accommodated  me  and  arriving  at  Jioston  in  four 
days,  went  from  thence  to  New  York  by  hand. —  Having  on 
particular  encpiiry  ascertained  the  connection  requested  to  be 
every  way  eligible,  I  consented  to  the  Union,  and  on  the  17th 
of  June  in  ordi^r  that  I  might  be  present,  the  marriage  of  my 
daughter  and  M"^  Livingston  was  solemnized  at  her  Aunts 
Seat  about  IG  Miles  from  New  York  —  Ten  days  after  this  I 
set  out  on  my  retui'u  for  Nova  Scotia  and  got  liome  about  the 
5  of  July. —  As  soon  as  Mess"  I'^'ouman  and  (Irassie  heard  of 
my  arrival  they  forwarded  me  your  favoi-  of  the  21  of  March 
last,  inclosed  with  a  |)ac(|uet  from  M'  Watson  &  another  from 
the  house  —  My   time  has  been   ev(ir  since  so  totally  occu- 

1  John  Turner  was  a  partner  in  Seliuylcr  Livinf^ston's   niotlicr  was 

the  house  of  Brook  Watson  &  do.  Cornelia   Seliuyh-r.      The   wedding 

-Schuyler  Livingston  was  born  took  idaee  at  liio  house  of  Mrs,  Cox, 

September  'J4,    1772.     He   was   the  who    was   An?  t    De    Tjaneey,  Mrs. 

son  of  Walter  Livingston,  who  was  Barclay's  sister, 
the     son     of    Robert     Livingston,        •'  Sir  John  Wentworth,  Governor 

the   third  proprietor  of  the  manor,  of  Nova  Scotia. 


62 


(JORKESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS   BAKCLAY 


u 


i 


Mi 


1^ 


pied  in  and  about  the  executiou  of  the  Coiiimission  wherewith 
His  Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  Honor  me,  that  I  have  not 
really  liad  a  leisure  moment  to  attend  to  my  i)rivate  eoucerns. 
—  I  am  now  but  just  ri^turned  from  S' Andrews  Passanui- 
quar.y  where  the  Commissioners  have  hold  their  first  meeting 
on  t.)e  question  referred  to  them,  it  a{)))eared  the  most  jjrojjer 
place,  l)ein|;'  part  of  the  territory  in  dispute  and  contij-uous  to 
the  two  I'ivers  respectively  contended  for  as  the  true  S' 
C-roix 

The  judicial  capacity  in  which  I  am  to  act  renders  it  im- 
proper for  me  to  discmss  the  subject,  or  express  my  Senti- 
ments in  any  manner  relating-  to  tlu^  dispute,  except  in  the 
picsence  of  my  brother  Connnissioners  and  olli(nally — Indeed 
if  these  Objections  were  removed,  the  length  of  the  case  in 
order  to  give  you  a  just  idea  of  the  controversy  would  too  far 
exceed  the  limits  of  a  letter  to  admit  of  it  —  After  a  Weeks 
communication  at  Halifax  in  August  last,  the  American  Com- 
missioner and  myself  agreed  in  the  ('hoice  of  F*]gbert  Benson 
of  the  City  of  New  York  Ksq'  as  the  third  Commissioner  —  A 
Gentlenmn  of  undoubted  Ability  and  [ntegrity,  and  who  from 
being  a  near  relation  was  brought  up  in  my  fathers  family, — 
I  found  it  impracticable  for  M'  Howtjll  the  Amerii^aii  Com'  and 
myself  over  to  agree  on  any  other  person,  and  that  unless  I 
joined  in  the  api)ointment  of  Judge  Benson,  wo  must  proceed 
to  the  un])leasant  alternative  of  balloting  for  the  third  Com- 
missioner—  To  this  I  am  extremely  averse,  from  a  conviction 
that  by  this  measure  the  qiu'stion  woidd  l>e  decided  rather  by 
lott,  than  on  its  merits — I  was  convinced  of  the -lustic(M)f  His 
Majestys  (Jlaims,  and  the  indisputable  authorities  that  could 
be  adduced  to  support  it  —  To  leave  it  therefore  to  a  ballot, 
would  l)t'  putting  what  I  looked  on  as  a  certainty  in  hazard, 
a  game  I  by  no  means  conceived  myself  authorized  to  play. — 
It  is  true  the  American  C'ommissioner  gave  nu^  the  names 
of  two  or  three  Gentlemen  in  England,  <»ue  of  whom  he  was 
willing  should  be  opposed  to  M'  Benson,  but  these  Centlemen, 
I  learned  were  warm  nunority  men,  and  I  did  not  conceive  it 
probable  they  would  leave  their  pursuits  and  cross  the  Atlan- 
tic, on  such  a  question  and  under  our  nomination. —  Thus  cir- 


& 


I  m 


i( 


TiiK  rnvK  KivKn  ST.  cno\x 


6;{ 


u   S' 


(MinistiiiK'cd  I  jiidji'tMl  i),  most  for  His  Mjijostvs  interest  to  jrive 
lip  the  only  possiltle  objection  to  M'  Henson,  tliiit  of  his  Ix'inj; 
an  AnuM-iejin,  uiuh'i-  the  liojxj  of  liiivinp'  n  cool,  sensihh',  nnd 
(lispfission.'ite  thir<l  CoMiniissioner  —  His  fnt  lire  conduct  1  trust 
will  prove  the  [)i'opriety  of  my  detei-miiiation  — 

To  siiy  I  iim  much  ol)lif;ed  to  yon  for  yonr  exertions  in  my 
fjivor  i-espectiiip"  the  iippliciiiion  for  t\  jjcnsion,  would  too 
fMinlly  express  my  feelinj;"s --  Permit  me  therefor*;  to  otTer 
you  my  most  j^'rntf^ful  tliiinks  nnd  to  iissiire  you  the  impres- 
sions yonr  kind  intert\'i'ent!e  has  nmde  will  nevcu'  he  effaced 
fr()m  my  recollection  —  M' Hammonds  observations  were  so 
just  us  to  cari'v  conviction  with  tliem,  nnd  1  feel  equally 
obli<i('(l  to  him  for  tin;  remark  and  yon  for  adopting;  it — For 
the  present  therefore  we  will  drop  the  pursuit,  and  wait  an 
ev<Mit  moi-e  favorable  — 

r  am  ha})py  I  can  assure  you  that  before  the  first  day  of 
January  next,  the  I'rovince  of  Nova  Seotia.  will  l)e  totally  dis- 
incum]>ered  of  I)el)t  —  It  was  a  load  that  lay  heavy  on  my 
mind,  fi'om  the  first  day  I  Ix'came  a  mend)er  of  tlie  house 
of  Ass(Mnl)ly  ;  ami  my  princij)al  exertions  have  bent  to  free 
the  Province  from  such  chains.  You  may  rest  satisfied  that 
the  same  pi'inciples  will  induce  me  to  oppose  every  measure 
tending  to  incur  similar  embarrassments  — 


TO    MR.  BOND. 


times 

was 

Imen, 

Ive  it 

lan- 

eir- 


Annapolis  24'"  Oct'  1796. 

{Private  &  Confidential.) 
My  dear  Sir 

The  paper  you  allude  to  in  your  dispatch  of  the  7"'  of  Sep', 
came  safe  to  hand,  and  your  directions  respei^ting"  it  have 
been  obeyed  —  A(!cept  my  sincere  thanks  for  your  imlustry 
and  /eal  in  furnishing  me  with  wliat  you  can  collect  and  con- 
ceive of  conse(|uencc  to  be  communicated — And  permit  me  to 
intreat  a  continuance  of  your  good  oflflces —  I  hope  you  and 
Mr  Liston  ap})rove  of  the  nomination  of  Judge  Benson  as  the 


W     _- 


64 


CORFfKSI'ONDKNCK   OF  TIIOiMAS    BARCIiAY 


l!n 


I 


?i  n 


third  ( 'ojiHiiissionor,  wlio  I  know  to  ho  a  man  of  Candor,  Tntc'^- 
rity  and  Ahilitios  and  with  wlioni  I  hclicvc  from  liis  intimacy 
with  Mr.  Hiiinmond  yon  arc;  a('<|naintt'd. 

I   oannot  conc^lndo  withont   oantioninj;   you  afjjainst . 

Ho  who  betrays  faitli  rejioscd  in  him  even  by  a  villain,  is  not 
to  be  trusted  by  an  lionest  num.  His  (-haractor  at  this  day  is 
th(!  same  my  wortliy  father  ^-ave  mo  of  him  upwards  of  IJO 
years  siiu'e.  Tluit  lie  was  a  man  of  dupli(dty  and  not  to 
bo  trusted.' 


TO   LORD   GRENVILLE. 

AunapoHs  24"'  Oct^  1796. 
My  Loi{d— 

In  my  dispateh  No.  ;}  dated  Halifax  the  ;50th  of  August  last 
past,  a  dupli(^iite  whereof  is  enclosed,  I  informed  your  Lord- 
ship that  the  American  (^omnussioner  and  myself  had  aj^reed 
in  the  choice  of  the  third  Commissioner  and  that  a  vessel  was 
sent  to  eari'y  him  his  a|)pointment.  The  American  Commis- 
siomn*  and  myself  being  of  opinion  that  the  meeting  of  the 
Commissioners  at  St.  Andrews  in  the  County  of  Charlotte 
Passamaquady  (a  part  of  the  lands  in  dispute)  would  facili- 
tate the  business,  and  prevent  the  Agents  removing  from  a 
place  where  their  presence  was  necessary,  we  accordingly  ad- 
journed to  St.  Andrews  and  notified  Mr.  Benson  the  third 
Commissioner  to  meet  iis  at  that  place  on  the  3rd  of  October. 
—  On  the  4th  of  October  the  three  Commissioners  having  met 
at  that  place  were  sworn,  agreaably  to  the  5  article  of  the 
treaty  by  Robert  Pagan  Esq'  His  Majestys  first  Justice  of  the 
(^'ourt  of  Common  Pleas  for  that  County,  after  which  the 
Board  of  Commissioners  appointed  EdAvard  Winslow  of  Fred- 
ericton  in  the  Province  of  New  Brunswic  Esq""  their  Secre- 

1   The    person    hero    alluded    to  New-Yorker,  anil   must,  have  been 

seems  to  have  been  Mr.  Bond's  liis-  employed  in  the  State  Department ; 

toriographer,  who  furnished  a  copy  but  it  does  not  seem  possible  now  to 

of  the  American  case  and  other  in-  establish  his  identity. 
formation.    He  was   presumably  a 


'}>, 


n 


THE  TRITE    RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


fi5 


tary  imd  rocoived  the  olaiins  of  the  rospective  Afjents  copies  of 
wliicli  I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  to  your  Lordship.  The  5th 
we  made  an  attempt  to  proceed  up  the  River  Seoodiac  chiimed 
by  the  Ajjjent  of  Ilis  Majesty  as  the  true  St.  Croix,  but  the 
Wind  failinf;  we  were  compelled  to  return  to  St.  Andrews ; 
after  which  the  board  met,  confirmed  the  surveys  c;ommenced 
under  the  mutual  agreement  of  the  Af?ents  and  takinf]^  the 
future  operati(tns  of  the  Surveyors  under  our  control  estab- 
lished rules  and  orders  for  their  direction  and  government; 
jis('(>rtain('d  their  pay  \)i'V  day  and  that  of  the  chainmen  and 
laborers  under  them  &(•  &c.  On  the  (ith  the  Commissioners 
attended  by  the  Ap:ents  went  to  view  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Ma,irajjjuadavi(^  claimed  by  the  American  Agent  as  the  St. 
Croix  intended  in  the  treaty  of  Pea(;e  and  th(>  Island  which 
he  said  had  been  named  by  the  Sieur  de  Monts  in  1604,  Ish  de 
*SY.  Croix.  The  7th  we  had  a  view  of  the  Isle  de  St.  Croix  in 
the  River  Seoodiac  as  shown  us  by  His  Majestys  Agent  with 
the  snudl  Island  in  its  front  and  as  much  of  the  River  as  he 
said  he  conceived  necessarv  to  be  seen  to  evince  that  the  Isl- 
ands  and  River  corresponded  with  the  description  given  by 
L'Escarl)()t  and  Champhiin  french  Historians,  who  attended 
tlu^  Sieur  de  Monts  in  his  Voyage  to  that  part  of  North  Amer- 
ica in  1(504,^  and  on  our  return  we  examined  under  oath  in  the 
Evening  a  number  of  Indians  produced  on  the  part  of  the 
united  States  —  On  the  8th  the  ])oard  established  rules  and 
regulations  for  authenticating  Records  ami  other  public  docu- 
ments to  be  given  in  Evidence,  with  several  other  necessary 
orders  and  resolutions,  particularly  one  directing  a  survey  to 
be  made  of  the  bay  of  Passamaquady,  the  Islands  therein,  the 
Brooks  and  Rivers  that  discharge  themselves  into  it  and  all 
the  Mountains,  high  lands  or  head  lands  which  present  them- 


been 
Iment ; 
liow  to 


1  "II  nous  ffiiit  (lire  que  I'lle  ile  montagnes  eminontes  par  dessiis  les 

Sainete  Croix  est  difficile  a  trouver  autres  aux  cotez  ;  mais  de  la  part  du 

k  qui  u'y  a  este,  ear  11  y  a  taut  d'iles  Nort  d'ou  descend  la  riviere,  il  n'y 

et  de  grandes  bayes  a  passer  dcvant  eu  a  sinon  vne  pointue  eloignee  de 

qu'ou  y  soit,  que  je  in'etonue  comrae  plus  de  deux  lieues." 

on  avoit  penctre  si  avant  pour  I'al-  Lesoarbot,  Liv.  IV,  Chap.  v. 
ler  trouver.    II  y  a  trois  ou  quatre 
5 


l""l    I 


J   I 


H. 


66 


fDRRKSPONDKNCK   OF  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


'li 


li 


1    «l 


» 


t      ii  ' ;. 


f  l« 


m 


m 


selvos  to  view  in  prncMMHlinj;  up  tho  bny  to  oithor  of  tlio  rivors 
in  (|uestion,  n  Mrcsciitiii'^  flicii'  Shapes  and  appearances  rc- 
spootively  ns  they  make  or  appear  in  pnxuMMling  to  and  up 
eacli  of  the  Kivprs  in  question. 

Haviufj  examined  the  Surveyors  as  to  the  pr()l)al)lp  period 
when  their  surveys  would  be  eotnpleted  and  fiiulinp  they  eouhi 
not  be  effected  until  late  the  next  Autumn  and  the  A^'ents 
having  stated  by  a  joint  memorial  that  it  woidd  be  out  of  their 
power  to  deliver  in  the  Arguments  on  which  tlieir  claims  were 
founded  until  they  were  possessed  of  these  Surveys,  the  board 
adjourned  to  the  second  Tuesday  in  August  next,  then  to 
meet  at  Boston  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts  for  the  f)ur])()se 
of  extimining  witnesses  and  to  juljouni  from  thence  to  such 
place  as  his  IMajesty's  agent  should  think  necessary  for  exam- 
ining any  other  witnesses  he  might  wish  to  produce.  The 
weather  from  the  20th  of  September  to  the  8t.h  of  October  was 
so  unfavoi-able  jfs  to  [)reveiit  the  (xentlemtMi  employed  fr(»m 
ascertaining  tlie  longitude  of  the  mouth  of  either  of  the  Rivers 
and  the  Season  being  far  advanced  we  gav(>  up  thti  pursuit 
until  next  Spring.  The  Surveyors  will  probably  continue 
at  Work  to  the  10th  of  November,  at  all  Events  they  will 
remain  in  the  field  until  driven  in  by  Snow  and  extreme  cold. 

Prirnfc  I  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  to  your  Lordship 
a  eircuTUstanee  which  probably  will  be  laid  before  you  by  His 
Majestys  Agent  through  (lovernor  Carleton,  but  as  an  acci- 
dent may  happen  to  his  dispatches  and  no  time  ought  to  be 
lost,  I  presume  to  suggest  to  your  Lordship,  what  certainh' 
with  more  propriety  would  come  from  him.  The  Agent  of 
the  united  States  has  related  to  Ilis  Majestys  Agent  that  the 
Plenipotentiaries  who  concluded  and  signed  the  definitive 
treaty  of  Peace  between  His  Majesty  and  the  United  States  of 
America  at  Paris  in  the  year  1783,  had  in  contemplation  and 
believed  that  the  River  called  the  River  St.  Croix  in  the  treaty 
was  the  first  River  to  the  Westward  of  the  River  St.  Johns  in 
New  Brunswic,  that  they  had  Mitchels  map  before  them  at 
that  time,  which  lays  down  the  eastermost  river  in  the  Bay  of 
Passamaquady  as  the  River  St.  Croix,  and  that  Mr.  Jay  and 
Mr.  Adams  the  surviving  American  Plenipotentiaries  and  Mr. 


u 


! 


THE  TRUE   HIVER  ST.  CROIX 


67 


'■N 


{Iiii'tU'V  the  Hritisli  rienipolt'iitiary,  togi'thci-  with  Lord  St. 
Holens'  and  a  Mr.  Whitt'ord -'  who  were  then  present  will  at- 
test to  the  above  representation,  and  aver  tliat  the  River  next 
to  t'  River  St.  John  in  New  Biunswie  was  the  one  by  them 
intended  as  the  point  from  whence  the  dividing;  bonndary  be- 
tween (Jreal  Britain  and  tlie  nnited  States  shonld  coinnienee, 
and  that  he  shoukl  next  Anf>'ust  exanune  Mr.  Jay  and  Adams 
on  the  subject.  What  weight  sueh  testimony  will  have  witli  the 
Commissioners  is  not  for  me  to  suj^'gest.  I  have  f»:iven  your 
Lordship  the  above  infornuition,  that  yon  may  if  you  conceive 
it  necessary  exanune  Mi'.  Hartley,  Lord  St.  Helens  and  Mr. 
Whitt'ord  or  any  other  per.sons  wlio  were  present  at  the  forming 
and  executinfi'  of  the  treaty,  and  advis(!  His  Maj;.'stys  Af^ent 
what  they  will  declare  under  oath  respecting  the  same  —  Also 
whether  Mitchels  map  was  or  was  not  the  chart  by  which  they 
governed  themselves  —  The  American  Agent  further  states, 
that  the  Source  of  which  river  shall  be  decided  to  be  the  River 
St.  Croix  truly  intended,  cannot  be  extended  beyond  the  flow- 
ing of  the  tide,  and  that  he  shall  establish  this  position  by  the 
decision  of  the  King  and  Council,  on  the  source  of  the  Merri- 
nuu*  river  in  setting  the  boundary  line  many  years  since 
between  the  E*rovinces  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  New  Hauip- 
shire,  and  a  similar  determination  respecting  the  source  of 
the  Piscataijua  river. —  The  absurdity  of  the  position  is  too 
gross  to  admit  of  a  moments  hesitation  —  It  n;.ty  not  however 
be  improper  to  possess  His  Majestys  Agent  with  authenticated 
copies  of  all  papers  on  file,  &  the  opinion  of  the  King  and 
Council  on  the  question  of  the  last  above  mentioned  rivers. 

Although  Mr.  Chi})mans  abilities  are  uuquestionabh^  and  his 
application  intense,  still  he  wages  a  very  unequal  War  with 
the  American  Agent,  who  has  two  of  the  Council,  two  of  the 
Senate  and  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  Law  ( 'ounsel  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts  assigned  to  assist  him  in  collecting 
documents  and  evidence  and  preparing  a  case  and  arguments 
on  this  important  question ;  on  which  a  territory  of  not  less 

I  Alleyue  Pitzherbert,  raised  to  ^  Caleb  Whitefoord,  Secretary  to 
the  Irish  peerage  as  Lord  St.  Helens  the  British  Commissioners  who  nego- 
in  1791.  tiatedthepreliminarytreatyofpeace. 


68 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOJUS  BARCLAY 


m 


Li 


r 


^\ 


thau  6  or  7,000  S([iiure  miles  depends,  part  of  whieh  is  invalu- 
able to  His  Majesty  for  the  masts  and  yards  it  will  furnish 
for  the  Navy. —  Under  these  circumstances  I  am  extremely 
anxious,  and  have  therefore  been  the  more  readily  induced  to 
communicate  the  above  information  to  your  Lordship,  that 
His  Majesty's  Agent  may  in  time  be  informed  of  the  facts  and 
furnished  with  every  necessary  map  and  paper  that  may  elu- 
cidate the  question,  or  enable  iiim  to  oppose  and  confute  the 
arguments  and  suggestion  of  the  opposing  party- 


FKOM    MR.    CHIPMAN. 


it  \ 


i! 


:    fet 


St.  John,  9tli  Nov'   1790. 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  feel  myself  under  peculiar  obligations  to  you  for  tlie  very 
interesting  and  friendly  communications  in  your  letter  of  the 
3**  instant.  I  perfectly  agree  with  you  that  the  mode  you  have 
adopted  with  regard  to  my  concerns,  bids  much  fairer  for  suc- 
cess than  an}'  other,  and  whatever  the  event  may  be,  I  shall 
ever  very  gratefully  recc^lh  ct  your  kind  interference  upon  this 
occasion.  I  am  rejoiced  that  you  have  met  with  Popple's 
Map,  as  I  believe  from  the  description  I  have  of  it,  it  will  be  of 
great  use. — There  is  another  point  which  T  an<,  endeavoring  to 
ascertain,  which  if  it  turns  out  as  I  have  reason  to  believe  it 
iWll,  must  be  decisive  in  our  favor. — The  line  from  the  Source 
of  the  St.  Croix  you  will  recollect,  is  by  the  Treaty  of  Peace  to 
run  "  due  North  to  the  Highlands  which  divide  those  Rivers 
which  fall  into  the  Afhnttir  Ocean  from  those  which  fall  into 
the  Riiwr  8t.  Lawrence^  Now  by  an  inspection  of  Capt. 
Sj)roules  Map  it  appeai-s  to  me,  that  a  line  drawn  due  North 
from  the  source  even  of  the  Chcputnaticook  will  strike  the 
River  Restigouche  which  runs  into  the  Bay  of  Chalcurs,  and 
of  course /rti/.s'  into  the  Giilph  of  Saint  Lawrence;  such  a  line 
therefore  will  not  answer  the  description  in  the  Treaty,  much 
less  will  a  line  drawn  from  the  Source  of  the  Magaguada\'ic  or 
any  other  source  eastward  of  the  Source  of  the  Cheputnati- 


f        i 


THE   TFUTE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


m 


cook, —  but  ji  line  drawn  due  north  from  tho  Source  of  the 
Scoodiac  will  run  to  the  westward  of  the  sources  of  all  the 
Rivers  that  fall  into  the  GnlpJi  of  St.  Lawyeiire,  and  will  of 
course  extend  to  the  Ili<ildan(Ls  mentioned. —  The  idea  was 
first  liinted  to  me  l)y  Mr.  Owen.  I  have  communicated  it  to 
(lovcruor  Ciu-h^ton,  and  requested  that  he  will  have  the  line 
run  this  winter  due  North  from  the  source  of  the  Cheputnati- 
cook  to  see  whei'e  it  will  strike  and  th.'it  we  may  have  evidence 
of  the  fact  if  it  pi'oves  to  he  in  our  favor: —  and  if  it  should  not, 
1 1  hiuk  sucli  a  Hue  must  be  run  hi'reafter  from  the  Source  of  the 
Maga^uadavic,  as  I  am  satisfied  that  it  will  upon  this  princi- 
pl(\  (clearly  show  that  this  cannot  be  the  river.  Let  me  know 
your  opinif)!!  of  this  hint.  I  think  we  should  at  present  keep 
it  secret,  I  have  intimated  as  nuuh  to  the  (lovernor. 

I  thank  you  for  your  attention  respecting-  the  Cyder.  Make 
my  best  (•om[)lim(uits  to  Mrs.  Barclay  and  aifectionate  regards 
to  your  little  Flock,  and  l)elieve  me,        &c. 

Ward  Chipman. 


TO    MR.    HAMMOND. 


apt. 

11-th 

the 

and 

line 

inch 

ic  or 

uati- 


Annapolis,  20th  Nov..  1796. 
My  Dear  Sir: 

The  inclosed  is  a  duplicate  of  what  I  wrote  you  in  Oct.  last. 
Two  things  have  since  occurred  which  I  tliink  of  moment  to 
eommuuicate  ;  the  first  of  which  I  intreat  your  attention  and 
that  by  the  earliest  conveyance  yon  will  have  the  goodness  to 
inform  me  what  (lovernor  Franklin  recollects  on  the  subject. 
Cap'.  Moody  the  well  known  secret  Service  man  under  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  dnr^  ig  the  Anun-icaii  War,  tells  me  he  was  in 
London  when  Mr.  Hartley  retui-ned  from  Paris  after  executing 
the  definitive  treaty  of  Peace  in  1783.  That  he  called  on  (tov- 
ernor  Franklin  to  pay  him  a  visit,  Avho  informed  him  that  Mr. 
Hartley  had  just  left  the  room,  with  whom  he  had  had  a  long 
conversation  respecting  the  tei'ritury  ceded  th<'  united  States. 
That  he  (the  Oovernor)  had  asked  Mr.  FLartley  why  the  Pleni- 
potentiaries had  not  made  the  rive'/  Penobscot  the  beginning 

6A 


fi  <' 


1^1 

I! 


70 


rORRESPONDENrR  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


h.  1 


;  il 


il| 


boundary  between  (Jivat  Hritaiii  aiui  tho  United  States.  To 
wliich  lio  answered,  that  Doctor  Franklin  laid  so  clearly  dem- 
onstrated that  the  River  St.  Croix  was  f  prefera])le  boundary 
beinjj^  the  dividing  limit  formerly  existing'  l)etween  Nova 
Scotia  and  IMassaehusetts,  thar  the  Plenipotentiarit's  aceinled 
thereto.  To  this  the  (lovoi'nor  replied  that  th(>  loss  of  the  in- 
termediate Country  was  of  consequence  to  Great  Jirilain,  and 
that  he  was  afraid  his  father  the  Doctor  had  been  too  cunninj:: 
for  Mr.  Hartley.  Captain  INIoody  is  cei-tain  Governor  Fi-ank- 
lin  will  recollect  this  conversation,  as  he  appeared  much  inter- 
ested and  told  him,  h.e  and  Mr.  Hartley  jiad  conversed  near  an 
hour  before  his  arrival.  As  Doctor  Franklin  is  dead,  it  nuiy 
be  of  moment  to  refresh  Mr.  Hartleys  memory  by  what  the 
Crovernor  recollects. 

By  the  treaty  of  peace  the  line  fi-om  the  source  of  the  St. 
Croix  is  to  run  due  north  to  the  Hisi'hlaiids  which  divide  tliose 
rivers  which  fall  into  the  AfhiHfir  Orcaii  fi-om  them  which  fall 
into  the  River  St.  Lawrence.  Mr.  Chipman  His  iMajestys 
Agent  has  hinted  to  !■  ".  and  from  examination  I  am  apt  to  be- 
lieve it  will  prove  so,  .nat  a  line  drawn  due  North  from  the 
Soiu'ce  even  of  the  C'hiputnatcook,  (the  North  liranch  of  the 
Scoodiac)  will  .strike  the  Rivei'  Restig'ouche  which  empties  into 
the  Bay  of  ('haleurs  and  of  course /V///.s,  into  the  Gul})!!  of  St. 
Lawrence;  such  a  line  therefore  will  not  answer  the  desciip- 
tion  in  the  treaty,  much  less  will  a  lin(>  drawn  from  the  Source 
of  the  Majfaguadavic  or  any  other  source  eastward  of  the  Source 
of  the  Chiputnatcook.  But  a  line  drawn  due  North  from  the 
Source  of  the  Scoodiac  will  run  to  tlu!  w<'stward  of  the  Source 
of  all  the  Rivers  that  fall  info  fJir  Gidph  of  tSf.  Lawye.nce  and 
will  of  ourse  extend  to  the  Highlands  mentioned  —  I  shall 
unite  with  Mr.  Chipman  in  an  applicati<»n  to  Governor  Cai'l- 
ton  of  New  Brunswic  to  have  a  line  rnn  this  Winter  due 
North  from  the  Source  of  the  Chiputnatcook  to  see  where  it 
may  strike,  and  that  we  may  have  evidence  of  the  fact  if  it 
proves  in  our  favor.  Should  it  not,  then  to  run  the  north  line 
from  the  Magfiguadavic.  If  it  turns  out  as  I  expect,  our  cause 
will  be  essentially  strengthened,  indeed  the  (piestion  Avill  be 
at  an  end.     The  result  you  shall  be  informed  of  by  the  first 


i 


THE  TRUE   RIVER   ST,   CROIX 


71 


convtwmioe  after  it  is  ascertained.  T  have  taken  the  liberty  to 
hint  to  Lord  (ii-envilh'  the  propriety  of  furnishing-  Mr.  Chip- 
man  with  (Jhaniphiin.  L'l'isearbot  &  Pureliase  ^  with  all  authen- 
tic nuips  and  a  copy  of  the  acts  of  Parliament  of  Scothuul 
\\iii(;h  are  k('})t  in  the  (-astle  of  Kdinburf»-  by  which  the  two 
provinces  of  Alexandria  and  Caledonia  into  which  the  Country 
of  Nova  Scotia  granted  to  Sir  Will'".  Alexander  are  estab- 
lished and  confirmed,  as  they  are  materifil  and  as  he  is  want 
of  them. 

FROM    MR.    BOND. 


I 


Pluhulelphia  2'J  Nov'  179(i. 

[Pr  irate.) 
My  dear  Sir 

I  am  now  to  acknowledf?e  the  Receij)t  of  Your  very  inter- 
( still <;•  Ijetter,  with  the  Inclosures,  which  accompanied  it, 
dated  at  Annapolis  Koyal  on  the  2;3rd  Ult:  for  which  I  thank 
You  exceedingly. 

It  appears  to  me  that  You  have  analysed  the  Business,  to 
which  Your  Commission  relati's,  with  all  the  Precision  which 
was  to  be  expected  from  Your  Al)ility  &  Zeal: — there  seems 
little,  to  apprehend. 

For  the  present,  I  have  only  to  remark  to  You,  that  I  have 
from  long  Experience,  dearly  bought  —  formed,  precisely,  the 
same  Opinion  of  the  Man,  which  Y"ou  entertain  of  the  Person 
from  whom  many  copious  Details,  relative  to  the  Subject  in 
Dispute,  liave  lieen  obtained.  In  the  present  Instance,  how- 
ever, let  me  do  Him  the  Ju  ice  to  observe,  that  in  the  Com- 
munications He  made  to  me  He  did  not  conceive  He  betrayed 
any  (•ontidence,  which  had  been  placed  in  Him:  on  the  eon- 

1  Th(!  books  roterred  to  are:  "Voy-  toiro  do  la  Novvollc  Kranec.  Par 
ajjes  ft  D(>st'ovvort<'s  faitcs  fii  la 
Novvelk'  P'raiic'c.  Par  Ic  Siciir  do 
(.'haiu])lain,  Cappitaiiio  ordiiiairo 
pour  If  Key  on  la  Mor  du  I'oiiant."  eolloctiou  of  Iravols  by  San.niol  Piir- 
(IC19.)     This  book  oontaiiis  a  niap     t'Iia!<,  an  English  diviuo;  published 


Marc  Loscarbot.''  Published  in 
throo  editions,  KKU)  to  KilH.  •'  Ptir- 
elias  his  IHlf^jriuis,"  the  woll-kuown 


of  the  J.daud  of  Ht.  Croi.x. 


His-    iu  1613. 


J L 


72 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   THO:\IAS   BARCLAY 


]  1 


f? 


trary,  He  professed  tliat  Tnith,  alone,  was  tlio  Object  of  liis 
Investigation,  and  if  that  End  were  eventually  realized,  it  was 
of  little  Conse([nenee  to  Him,  Avhat  the  Issue  of  the  Examina- 
tion, to  either  Party,  might  be. 

Knowing  Him   as  well   as   I  did,  then;  was  little  Danger 
that  our  Cause  should  suffer  by  a  ISurcharyc  of  Confidence. 

I  am  &c.  P.  Bond. 


FROM   lord   GRENVILLE. 


Sir 


Downing-  Street,  Dec'  9'",  l7iJ(). 


Your  several  dispatches  to  No.  8  inclusive  have  been  re- 
ceived and  laid  before  the  King ;  and  I  have  the  satisfaction 
of  informing  you  that  His  Majesty  has  been  graciously  pleased 
to  approve  of  your  conduct  in  having  proceeded  to  execute 
the  trust  committed  to  you,  notwithstanding  tlie  variation 
which  appears  to  subsist  between  your  comniission  and  tliat 
which  has  been  given  to  Mr.  Howell  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  That  variation  is  indeed  extremely  unimpor- 
tant in  itself,  and  it  is  still  more  so  when  it  is  (considered  that 
the  general  sense  of  the  two  contracting  parties  upon  the  sub- 
ject is  so  clearly  to  be  ascertained  by  a  reference  to  the  two 
succeeding  articles  of  the  treaty  which  vehite  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  Commissioners  for  other  purposes  and  to  the  mode 
which  is  prescribed  for  deciding  tlie  questions  submitted  to 
them.  In  order  however  to  remove  all  doubts  upon  this 
point,  Mr.  Liston  is  instructed  to  state  the  variations  between 
Mr.  Howell's  Commission  and  yours  to  the  American  Minis- 
ters, and  to  propose  to  them  the  interchange  of  declarations, 
purjxtrting  that  His  Majesty  and  the  United  States  will  con- 
sider as  final  &  conclusive  the  decisions  of  the  three  Com- 
missioners or  of  a  majority  of  them,  as  to  the  I'iver,  which 
was  the  River  St.  Croix  intended  by  the  definitive  treaty  of 
Peace  between  His  Majesty  and  the  United  States.  It  must 
however  be  observ  liat  in  order  to  render  the  proceedings 
under  this  Comni.     on  coinformable  to  the  principle  estab- 


1 


1 


THE  TRUB:   river   ST.   CROIX 


lisht'd  for  the  others,  no  sueh  deeision  nor  indeed  any  other 
proeeedinj^  eaii  take  phiee  hnt  in  the  preseiiee  of  the  three 
Commissioners. 

Although  I  understand  that  the  books  and  papers  speeified 
m  the  coneluding-  part  of  your  dispatcli  No.  ',]  liave  been 
ah'eady  transmitted  from  the  Duke  of  Poi'tland's  Ottiee  to  ^Ir. 
Chipmau  His  Majesty's  A;;ent,  I  nt^vertlu'less,  in  order  to 
guard  against  the  effeets  of  any  aceidents  liappening  to  tlie 
Paeket  by  whieh  the  other  eopies  were  sent,  enclost^  to  you 
those  extracts  of  tlie  A(jts  of  Parliament  of  Scotland  \vlii(;h 
you  consider  as  likely  to  be  of  importance  in  the  investigation 
of  the  question  which  you  are  appointed  to  decide. 

I  am  &C.  (iRENVU.LE. 


two 
)oint- 
mode 
Hi  to 

this 
weeu 

inis- 
ions, 

con- 
Oom- 

hich 
ty  of 
must 
dings 
?stab- 


TO    LORD   GRENVILLE. 

Annapolis,  8th  Sept.,  1797. 
My  Lord 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acquaint  your  Lordship  that  the  t'om- 
missioner.s  for  setting  the  disj)uted  Boundary  of  tiie  Kiver  St. 
Croix  met  early  in  August  at  Bostou  to  which  place  they  had 
adjoui'ued.  Judge  Benson's  ill  health  prevented  his  travelling 
with  expidition  from  New  York  to  Boston  and  occasioned 
a  delay  in  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  seven  days. 

In  my  dispatch  No.  4  I  suggested  to  your  Ijordship,  that  the 
principal  inducement  for  the  Adjournment  to  Boston  was 
founded  on  the  representation  of  the  American  Agent  that  he 
had  a  number  of  witnesses  to  examine  amongst  whom  were 
Mr.  Adams  the  now  President  of  tlie  LInitcd  States  anil  Mr. 
Jay  the  present  (Tovernoi-  of  New  York,  both  of  whom  were 
Plenipotentaries  foi-  effecting  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  of  America  at 
Paris  in  1783,  and  a  conviction  on  the  part  of  the  Commis- 
sioners that  it  would  save  time  and  exi)eus('  to  meet  the  wit- 
nesses at  that  place.  On  perusing  tlu^  Allidavits  of  the  nuijor 
Part  of  the  witn(^sses  his  Maje.stys  Agent  agreed  to  their  bc- 
iug  filed  de  bene  esse  conceiving  they  can  take  little  or  nothing 


T      l„     I    L 


74 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF  TirOMAS   BARCLAY 


1  i 

'I  ,1 


:i  ii 


I 


1  r 


'  (ill 


*y 


material  to  the  present  Question.  Yonr  Lordsliip  will  reeol- 
leet  my  havinj^  liiiitcd  that  the  American  Agent  had  said  he 
should  he  able  to  ])r<)ve  by  Air.  Jay  Mr.  Adams  &  Lord  St. 
Ht'lens  tliat  at  the  (jxeeution  of  the  ti-eaty  of  I*ea(H'  in  17S;5  the 
Plenij)otentiari(^s  intended  l)y  tlu!  h'ivei"  St.  Croix  (tlie  l)efviii- 
nitig'  point  of  delineation  of  tlie  Lines  wliieh  W(M"e  thereafter 
to  divide  the  United  States  from  His  Majestys  Possessions  in 
Ameriea)  the  Hi'st  River  to  the  Westward  of  th(!  River  St. 
Johns,  and  of  course  that  the  lirst  Itivei-  to  the  Westward  of 
St.  Johns  was  the  river  ti'uly  intended  in  the  treaty. 

It  is  impossi1)le  for  me  to  say  wlietlier  sueh  testimony  would 
have  been  I'eeeived  by  the  ('ommi«si(mers  '  ad  it  been  oftV-red. 
I  am  however  happy  to  add  the  Case  has  not  occurred  and 
consequently  no  cpiestiou  on  that  point  has  ])een  agitated. 
Mr.  Jay  on  being  recpiested  by  the  American  Agent  to  attend 
at  Boston  for  the  ])ur])()se  of  giving'  testimony  wrote  the 
Agent  a  letter  stating  that  he  would  not  depose  any  thing- 
material  to  the  present  (piestion.  That  all  that  he  knew  was 
that  Mitchels  map  was  the  only  one  the  Plenipotentiaries  had 
befort!  them  or  used  in  setting  the  boundaries  and  that  the 
river  descrilx'd  (tn  that  maj)  as  the  river  St.  Croix,  having 
been  taken  for  gi-anted  as  correctly  laid  down  by  th(!  (Jeogra- 
pher  it  was  nanu'd  as  the  eoriuneneing  Ijoundary.  That  as  to 
any  error  in  the  Map,  or  there  being  several  rivers  of  the 
name  of  St.  (h'oix,  <*ontiguous  to  each  other;  it  never  was 
suggested,  and  of  ('ourse  no  provision  made  in  such  case  by 
the  Plenipotentiaries.  That  this  was  all  he  ('ould  possibly 
dejjose,  yet  if  the  American  Agent  wislied  his  atteiidance,  on 
notice  he  would  immediately  set  out  for  Boston. 

Mr.  Adams'  deposition  was  taken  before  the  Commissioners, 
it  amounts  to  little  more  than  Mr.  Jays  statement,  and  I  think 
I  may  very  safely  say  that  it  nmkes  nu*  more  in  favor  of  the 
British  than  the  American  chiims. 

He  swears  that  on  his  arrival  from  Amsterdam  at  Paris,  he 
found  the  other  Plenipotentiaries  had  already  held  several 
communications  on  the  subject  of  the  Boundaries.  That  on 
the  pai't  of  Great  Britain  the  I'iver  Kennebec  ajid  afterwards 
Penobscot  had  been  urged  as  proper  bounds,  while  the  Ameri- 


i 


THE   TRIM'    nW'KH   ST,    CHOIX 


75 


,'as 
oil 


M'S, 

ink 
lie 

he 

^ral 

on 

rds 

3ri- 


oan  Plenipotentiaries  Mr.  Jay  and  Mr.  Fi'aiiklin  contended  for 
the  River  St.  John.  That  he  candidly  told  both  parties  he 
differed  witli  tlicMii ;  and  his  hi-etlii-eii  the  American  PhMiipo- 
tentiaries,  that  they  pressed  as  iiuich  too  far  to  the  North 
East,  as  the  British  were  short  of  the  i-eal  coinnieneinij:  point 
of  division.  That  the  orij^inal  North  lOast  l)onn(hiry  <»f  Mas- 
sHchusetts  in  liis  o[)inion  was  tlic  line  wliich  ouji'lil  to  })o 
ado[»ted,  and  tliat  it  stood  limited  by  the  b'iver  St.  Croix. 
That  havin^r  Mitchels  Ma]i  l»efore  them,  he  thin  traced  out 
the  bonndaries  on  the  same,  and  he  thinks  marked  them  with 
a  period.  In  every  other  }»articiilar  his  testimony  agreed  with 
Mr.  Jays  information.' 

The  Surveyors  ai-e  l)usily  employed  on  the  respective  rivers. 
Those  on  tla^  Mauaunadavic  will  compleat  ilieir  surveys  this 
fall,  but  whethei-  the  Survey  of  the  St.  Croix  will  l)e  ert'ec,t(fd 
is  a  g'n^at  Doutt.  Ai'tists  are  also  (Uigajifed  in  taking-  the 
Latitude  and  Longitude  at  the  mouths  of  the  two  Rivers. 
The  instant  tlit^  Surveys  are  finished  a  general  mnp  is  to  be 
made  of  all  Rn'crs  and  Hay  (tf  Passaiiunpiady,  by  Mr.  Sproule 
the  Surveyor  (ieneral  of  New  lirunswic,  copies  of  which  are 
to  be  delivere  ^  '  respective  agents  to  enable  tlunn  to  perfect 
their  argni  .s  and  r(!}»lies.  The  Commissioners  have  ad- 
journed to  the  first  Monday  in  June  next,  then  to  meet  at 
Rhode  Island,  for  the  ])uri)os(!  of  deciding  the  Question,  at 
which  period  they  trust  the  general  Map  will  be  conipleated 
and  the  Agents  ready  to  delivei*  their  r(>s|)ective  replies. 

His  (Jraee  the  Duke  of  Portland  having  forwarded  to  Mr. 
('hipmaii  His  Majestys  Agent  lOxtraels  fioni  Champlain  and 
Copies  of  his  Maps,  particularly  of  the  River  St.  Croix  and 
the  Island  on  which  the  French  built  and  wintered  in  1()04; 
and  that  map  having  represented  the  situation  and  extent  of 
the  Buildings  on  the  Island;  Mr.  Cliipman  immiHliately  sent 
to  a  (lentleman  residing  near  that  i)hiee  a  copy  of  the  map, 
and  requested  hini  to  dig  agreeably  to  the  positions  laid  down. 
On  removing  the  young  growtli  of  Wood,  which  covered  the 

1  The   statements  of  Adams  and     Great  Britain   to  the  King  of    the 
•lay are  printcMlin  full  as  Appendix     Netherlands  in  1824. 
4   to   the   Htatoment   presented    by 


% 


76 


roRRKSPONDKNCK   OF   THOMAS    RARCLAY 


I  !i 


?M      < 


r 


(' 


j^ 


fiicc  of  thiit  pjirt  of  flio  Isliuid,  find  di^^irincf  a  vory  littlo  way 
under  llic  siirhicr,  (lit;  foundations  of  tlm  frciicli  Buildinj^s 
were  found  in  an  idmost  jx'rfcnt  state  also  tlu'  Brick  of  vvhicli 
tlio  ovi'u  was  niade.  An  old  metal  S[)Oon.  Iron  s])ik('s  nearly 
destroyed  l»y  rusj,  jieiees  o)'  ejirlhen  und  Iron  [tots,  and  eliiii'- 
eoal  in  an  iii)|)iii'ently  pei-fect  stnte,  t)ut  wliieli  on  Ix'injj;  ox- 
posed  to  the  Air  slaked  and  erundih'd  into  dust.  Tiiis  discov- 
ery idenlilies  Hie  Island,  and  K'iver,  luinied  St.  Ci'oix  by  the 
P^'cnch.  I  take  the  liberty  to  reinai'k  to  youi-  Lordship  that 
as  the  question  now  stj'  i  ;,  and  I  know  of  no  other  testi- 
mony pro])osed  to  ])e  adduced,  there  c^aii  Ijc  no  doubt  of  a  de- 
cision favorable  to  His  IMajestys  claims.  One  tliiujj  however 
is  absolutely  necessary;  to  wit  that  the  Aji'cnt  Mr,  ('hip- 
man  is  posses  ,'d  of  that  edition  of  Cliamplain,  and  the  maps 
from  vvher,ct^  the  extracts  and  fac  similies  wt-re  nuide,  which 
have  been  forwai'ded.  The  Amei'ican  A^eni  has  op})osed  ad- 
mittinu,'  the  certiiied  extracts  and  ma])s  above  mentioned  in 
evidence;  and  1  doubt  the  ('onimissioncrs  receiving'  them, 
while  the  origiiuds  can  be  procured.  Permit  me  therefore 
to  request  yoin*  Lordships  attentiim  to  having  this  Edition 
of  Champlain  forwarded  during  the  Antumn  or  very  early  in 
the  Spring. 

r  hav(^  been  so  fortunate  as  to  procure  a,  very  excellent 
french  Atlas  published  in  1755  which  lays  down  the  Rivers  in 
the  Bay  of  PassanuKinady  very  correctly,  and  gives  the  name 
of  St.  Croix  to  the  Western  Branch  of  the  River.  Also  a 
french  Map  stated  to  be  a  correction  of  Mitchels.  D.  Anvills 
Map,  and  several  other  veiy  favoi-able  descriptions  of  the 
River;  all  of  which  I  have  delivered  to  Mr.  ('hipman. 


FROM   MR.   LISTON. 

Philiulelphia  W  October  1797. 
Sir, 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  your  letter  No.  6  of  the 
12th  of  last  month  (accompanied  with  a  private  one  of  the 


i 


1 


THE   TRUE   RIVER  ST.   t'ROIX 


77 


1  the 
I  the 


same  date)  and  have  to  thank  you  for  the  satisfaetory  account 
you  have  given  nie  of  t\w  State  of  your  proceedinjjs. 

I  had  sonu'  weeks  ago  piv| tared  a  dispateli  to  His  Majesty's 
Agent,  which  I  meant  to  luivc  accjonjpanicil  with  ii  eopy  of  a 
eouph'of  maps  published  by  authority  of  the  British  (Joveniment 
at  the  time  of  the  disfjutes  with  the  Court  of  Fi-aiu;e  (roiieerning 
the  boundaries  of  tiie  respective  Crown."  on  this  side  the  Atlan- 
tiek,  whieli  ultimately  led  to  the  war  of  IT.IO ;  bnt  I  was  pi'cvent- 
ed  from  sending  my  packet  by  a  rej)()rt  early  spi'ead  here,  that 
the  Commissioners  were  not  to  entei'  on  the  Itusiness  till  next 
year,  and  that  your  stay  at  Boston  would  be  cxti'emely  short.' 
I  have  now  resolved  to  forward  the  packet  I  allude  to,  to- 
gether with  iMitehell's  map,  by  some  one  of  His  Majesty's  Ships 
of  war  that  nuiy  be  bound  to  Halifax  :  and  as  1  pi"(/pose  to  set 
out  in  a  few  days  on  an  exciu'sion  to  Norfolk  in  Virginia. 
I  think  of  carrying  it  with  me,  and  delivering  it  myself  into 
the  hands  of  some  of  the  Captains  who  I  think  will  take 
proper  care  of  it. 

His  Majesty's  Secretary  of  State  comnuinicated  to  me  the 
observation  made  by  you  on  the  ditfei-ence  between  the  terms 
of  your  (■onunission,  and  those  of  the  one  given  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  to  Mi-.  Howell,  and  His  Lordshij)  di- 
rected me  to  reiiuest  an  explanatory  declaration  on  the  subject 
on  the  part  of  the  Ameri(;an  Ministry.  On  executing  this 
commission,  I  })er(^eived  that  Colonel  Pickering  was  a  little 
hurt  as  well  at  the  imputation  of  inaccuritcy  or  insufficiency 
thus  cast  on  an  Instrument  which  had  been  carefully  drawn 
up  by  himself,  as  at  the  surmise  that  aiipeared  to  be  started 
respecting  the  sincerity  and  good  faith  of  the  Government  of 
the  United  States.  I  did  not  therefore  insist  upon  any  change's 
being  made  in  Mr.  Howell's  Commission,  and  contented  myself 
with  a  general  declaration,  made  to  me  l)y  authority,  that  th(^ 
President  would  give  the  decision  of  the  Commissioners  full 
force  and  effect.  I  do  not  indeed  entertain  the  smallest  appre- 
hension that  any  ditliculty  will  occur  with  regard  to  the  exe- 

1  Colonel  Barclay's  return  to  Nova  died  about  the  'JOtli  of  Sejitember, 
Scotia  was  hastened  by  tlie  illness  1797,  soon  after  Barclay's  arrival  at 
of  his  youngest  child,  Clement,  who     home. 


J L 


78 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   RARCFiAY 


c-utiou  of  tlie  award  of  the  majority  of  the  Comniissioners, 
whatever  it  may  be.  I  have  &c. 

Rob.  LisTON. 


TO   ME.  LISTON. 


I  ; 


111  ;ii 


M' 


[  r, 


i  -1    ■ 

ml 

Sir, 


Auntipolis,  23  Dec'  1797. 


I  was  favored  witli  yom*  lettei-  of  the  80tli  of  hist  month  a 
few  weeks  since.  Mr.  Chipman  and  myself  will  he  greatly 
obliged  to  you  i'or  the  Copies  of  the  maps  you  propose  sending 
by  Captain  ('ochrane. —  It  is  neeessary  His  Majesty's  Agent 
should  be  in  possession  of  everything  that  has  been  published 
on  the  Subject  to  which  his  agency  extends:  and  admitting 
all  the  maps  vvhi<'h  have  hitherto  been  published  of  that  part 
of  the  Rivei-  Scodiae  and  its  branch  the  Chiputnaticook  be- 
yond the  falls  to  have  been  merely  ideal  or  at  best  taken  from 
Indian  information,  still  the  general  prevailing  opinion  of  the 
direction  of  that  River  will  operate  forcibly  in  the  decision  of 
the  ({uestion. 

It  was  my  duty  to  communicate  to  Lord  Grenville  the  vari- 
ance between  Mr.  Howells  Commission  and  mine  for  His  Ma- 
jestys  information  and  to  remove  from  myself  all  responsi- 
bility respecting  it  —  In  doing  this  my  intention  was  the 
reverse  of  imputing  imiecuracy  or  insufflciency  to  the  instru- 
ments you  mention  as  having  been  fi'amed  by  Mr.  Pickering, 
on  the  contrary  my  letter  plainly  imports  that  the  American 
Commission  was  drawn  up  in  the  Words  of  the  fifth  Article  of 
the  treaty,  and  that  His  Majestys  Commission  to  me  went  be- 
yond the  tixpressions  used  in  that  Article.  Previous  explana- 
tions on  points  which  admit  of  doubt  are  all  ways  proper  and 
particularly  necessary  where  responsibility  attaches ;  nor  ought 
constructions  to  be  left  open  for  future  argument,  when  the 
present  moment  admits  of  an  explanation.  I  am  really  sorry 
Mr.  Pickering  could  suppose  my  letter  above  alluded  to  car- 
ried with  it  the  most  ''"  '*^ant  hint  of  a  suspicion  of  the  Sin- 
cerity and  good  Faith  oi  .  e  Government  of  the  united  States. 


■1 


Et 


m 


THE   TRUE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


79 


Inclosod  is  a  copy  of  it,  and  yon  will  do  mo  n  fnvor  by  oxplnin- 
inp  it  to  liini,  \v1k>  assnfcdly  nt  tlie  present  very  ninch  niiseon- 
ceives  what  I  liad  rcpresfiitod. 


si- 
lie 
•n- 

;au 
of 
)t'- 
tia- 
Liul 
ght 
the 
,n-y 

MY- 

mi- 

;es. 


FROM     MR.    LISTON. 

Philad('lphia,  4th  April,  1798. 
Sir, 

Sinee  the  date  (»t'  my  last  (which  was  of  the  IJOth  of  October) 
I  have  not  had  the  pleasnre  of  hearinp:  from  yon. 

On  tli(>  4tli  of  December  T  forwarded  from  Norfolk  (in  Vir- 
ginia) a  letter  to  Mr.  Chipnian,  which  1  tlatter  myself  he  has 
received,  since  Captain  Cochrane.  U)  whom  it  was  entrnsted, 
had  a  very  favonrabic  i)assage  to  Halifax.  It  was  accompanied 
with  Mitchell's  Map  of  North  America,  with  the  correction,  and 
a  (^opy  of  the  maps  pnblished  by  the  Conrts  of  Great  Britain 
and  France,  to  illnstrate  their  reciprocal  pretensions  on  the 
snl)ject  of  the  limits  of  Acadia  and  Nova  Scotia,  prior  to  the 
war  of  175f).  These  are  the  only  materials  that  have  come  in 
my  wa}'  which  appear  to  me  to  deserve  notice ;  and  I  have  only 
to  rei)eat  what  I  have  already  observed  on  the  subject,  that 
Mr.  Chipman  seems  to  be  already  in  possession  of  so  mnch  in- 
formation, and  to  treat  the  snbject  with  snch  snperior  ability, 
that  he  s(!arcely  stands  in  need  of  any  assistance  whatever. 

I  have  received  orders  to  nt^gotiate  and  conclude  an  addi- 
tional article  to  the  Treaty  of  Amity  Commerce  and  Naviga- 
tion, with  a  view  to  liberate  you  from  the  obligation  of  fixing 
(with  a  precision  perhaps  impossible  to  obtain)  the  longitude 
and  latitude  of  the  source  of  the  St.  Croix,  and  to  stipulate 
some  other  method  of  ascertaining  the  question  respecting  the 
disputed  boundary  between  the  two  countries.  The  American 
Minister  is  willing  to  proceed  as  soon  as  may  be  to  this  busi- 
ness with  me  (although  he  had  at  the  same  time  authorized 
Mr.  King  to  manage  the  affair  in  London) ;  but  the  attention 
of  this  Government  has  for  some  tinu;  past  been  so  completely 
engrossed  by  their  dispute  with  France,  that  it  has  been  im- 
possible for  Colonel  Pickering  to  find  leisure  to  give  the  neces- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


/- 


/> 


w.. 


<? 


i^.r 


i?< 


fA 


fc 


1.0 


I.I 


IIIM  IIIIM 
iU  iim 

ill  3  6 


2.0 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

-* 6"     

► 

cSs- 


V] 


<9 


^ 


/a 


^h 


/ 


o 


/ 


^ 


M 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


iV 


^^ 


% 


V 


<s> 


■^^ 


\ 


\ 


'^ 


^ 


a\^<,^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NV    I4S80 

(716)  872-4503 


Q. 


s 


W- 


#/. 


|W'7 


■    jl 


80 


CORRKSPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


sary  considereition  to  the  subject.  As  soon  as  it  is  in  my 
power,  1  will  transmit  to  you  and  to  Lieutenant  (lovernor 
Carleton  a  draught  of  the  article  we  may  think  likely  to  an- 
swer the  purpose,  that  you  may  favour  us  with  such  altera- 
tions and  amendments  as  shall  in  your  opinion  be  expedient. 
I  have  &c  Rob.  Liston. 

P.  S.  Since  writing  the  above,  I  find  by  letters  from  Lord 
Grenville  that  the  additional  article  alluded  to  in  my  letter  is 
to  be  negociated  in  London.  R.  L. 


!      I 


'         r 


TO    MR.    LISTON. 

Annapolis  2nd  May,  L798. 

{Private.) 
Sir, 

Mr.  Thornton '  by  the  last  Post  from  Halifax  forwarded  me 
your  dispatch.  No.  I  of  the  4th  of  April.  Before  this,  I  hope 
my  letter  of  the  2)}  of  Dec'  has  come  to  your  hands.  It  was  put 
on  board  a  Brig  which  was  to  have  sailed  from  Digby  about 
the  latter  end  of  December  for  Philadelphia ;  the  severity  of 
the  weather  and  violence  of  the  Gales  induced  the  owners  to 
postpone  her  departure  until  March,  when  she  sailed  for  Balti- 
more. I  now  enclose  a  duplicate,  aiul  hope  you  will  be  able  to 
remove  the  unfavorable  impression  Mr.  Pickering  through 
mistake  entertains  of  my  suggestion  t()  Lord  (Irenville. 

The  letter  and  the  njaps  you  s(»me  time  since  forwarded  by 
Captain  Cochrane  have  been  transmitted  to  Mr.  Chipman,  who 
is  not  a  little  flattered  with  the  favorable  opinion  you  entertain 
of  his  industry.  I  have  no  doul)t  you  will  be  pleased  with  the 
case  he  has  made  out  on  the  part  of  His  Majesty ;  it  was  my 
wish  to  have  forwarded  a  »!opy  for  ycnir  and  Mr.  Bonds  peru- 
sal ;  the  Secretary  however  has  not  yet  had  leisure  to  make 
me  one. 

The  Commissioners  and  Agents  conceived  it  imnecessary, 

1  Edward  Thornton,  the  British  Secretary  of  Legation. 


THE  TRUE   RIVER  ST.   CROIX 


81 


and  a  measure  that  would  greatly  retard  tlie  conclusion  of  the 
question,  to  ascertain  the  Latitude  and  Longitude  of  the  Source 
of  the  River ;  because  the  taking  the  latitude  find  Longitude 
at  the  mouth  of  the  River  and  giving  a  minute  description  of 
the  Courses  and  distances  from  thence  to  its  source  would 
completely  answer  every  purpose  intended  and  identify  the 
soiirce  beyond  the  possibility  of  future  doubt.  Under  these 
impressions  the  Agents  were  permitted  to  apply  to  their  re- 
spective Governments,  that  that  part  of  the  directions  in  the 
fifth  Article  of  the  treaty  might  be  dispensed.  By  your 
favor  I  find  that  in  addition  to  this  "  a  new  Articjle  is  to  be 
negotiated  in  London  whereby  some  other  method  will  be 
adopted  for  ascertaining  the  question  respecting  the  dis- 
puted boiindary  between  the  two  Countries."  Ignorant  of 
the  particidar  object  this  article  is  proposed  to  eml)race 
it  is  out  of  my  power  to  give  an  oi)inion  of  its  expedi- 
ency; still  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  state  for  your  and  my 
Lord  Grrenville's  information  the  probable  issue  under  the 
present  Commission  admitting  it  is  pro(;eeded  on  according 
to  tl.eir  original  instructions. —  The  River  Magaguadavic  con- 
templated by  the  Americans  as  the  S'-  Croix,  can  never  be  con- 
firmed as  such.  Its  only  support  is  Lidian  tradition,  while 
every  document,  description,  actual  survey  and  representation 
prove  the  reverse. —  The  Scoodiac  therefore  will  be  the  river 
comprehended  in  the  decision  of  the  decision  of  the  Comm"- — 
But  as  this  River  divides  itself  into  two  Branches  some  dis- 
tance above  the  falls,  the  one  the  Chipatnaticook  tending  very 
nearly  north,  the  other  the  continuance  of  the  Scoodiac  West 
North  West ;  it  will  become  a  question  with  the  Commission- 
ers which  of  these  two  Branches  are  to  be  considered  as  the  S'- 
Croix  intended  in  the  treaty  of  1783 — Printed  and  written 
evidence  are  in  favor  of  the  latter,  to  which  I  may  add  that  on 
comparing  the  actual  Surveys  of  these  two  Branches  witii  the 
most  correct  maps  extant,  the  resemblance  will  be  found  to 
operate  strongly  in  favor  of  the  western  Branch,  particulai'ly 
at  the  Sources.  It  follows  from  hence  that  circumstances  are 
in  favor  of  the  Question  being  determined  to  the  extent  of  his 
Majestys  claim,  and  even  under  the  most  unfavorable  Event 


p 


;ii 


I  i:  I 


It 


82 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


that  an  offset  of  upwai'ds  of  20  milos  West  will  be  gained  be- 
tween the  Magaguadavic  &  Chipatnaticook. 

The  course  of  the  (■hiputuateeook  from  its  mouth  to  its 
souree  is  very  nearly  north.  By  examining  the  maps,  you  will 
readily  discover  that  a  line  drawn  due  North  from  the  mouth 
of  this  River  to  the  Highlands  will  leave  a  large  part  of  New 
Brunswic  to  the  Westward  of  this  line  and  cut  off  the  commu- 
nication between  that  Province  and  Canada;  whereas  a  North 
line  drawn  from  the  Western  extremity  of  tin;  Seoodiac,  if  it 
did  not  leave  new  Brunswic  entire,  would  take  but  a  very 
small  portion  from  it.  If  therefore  the  new  Article  in  cor.tem- 
plation  goes  to  confirm  the  Western  Source  it  may  be  an  object 
of  moment.  In  the  negotiation  however  the  Magaguadavic 
must  be  removed  even  from  the  back  ground,  and  the  Chiput- 
natecook  and  Scoodiac  spoken  of  as  the  only  possible  streains 
in  question.  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  give  you  my  senti- 
ments, least  Lord  Grenville  might  be  induced  to  consider  the 
question  of  the  two  rivers  as  still  involved  in  doubt  and  from 
thence  be  led  to  yeild  a  greater  e(}uivalent  than  he  otherwise 
would  do.  In  negotiating  this  new  Article  it  is  of  moment  to 
comprcheiul  the  Islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passamaquady  which  ap- 
pertain to  his  Majesty  beyond  contradiction,  some  of  tlie  best 
of  which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the  Americans. 

The  Agent  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  during  the  last 
Winter  applied  through  Mr.  Chipman  for  my  consent  to  a 
farther  adjournment  of  the  meeting  of  the  Commissioners, 
which  stood  for  the  first  Monday  in  June,  suggesting  as  his 
motive  the  survey,  not  being  completed  and  the  impracticabil- 
ity of  his  finishing  the  case  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
before  he  was  in  possession  of  a  copy  of  the  survey.  To  this 
application  I  gave  a  negative.  He  has  since  repeated  his  re- 
quest and  in  addition  to  his  former  reasons,  added  that  in  case 
the  board  met  in  June,  he  would  be  compelled  to  protest 
against  delivering  in  his  argument  in  an  unfinished  State  and 
to  pray  a  further  day.  Previous  to  the  receipt  of  this,  Sir  John 
Wentworth  had  requested  me  in  pointed  terms  to  postpone  if 
practicable  the  meeting  of  the  Commissioners  until  the  latter 
end  of  July,  that  I  might  attend  the  next  Session  of  the  House 


THE  TRUE  RIVER  ST.  CROIX 


83 


of  Assembly.  I  have  been  therefore  induced  to  aeceed  to  Mr. 
Sullivaus  proposal,  and  accpiainted  the  other  Com"  if  they  had 
no  ol)jection,  I  was  willing  to  extend  the  time  to  the  23rd  of 
July. 

From  the  communication  in  your  letter  I  have  reason  to  sus- 
pect Mr.  SuUivan  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  "  the  proposal  for  the 
additional  article  "  you  mention.  I  am  led  to  this  opinion  from 
the  very  particular  manner  in  which  he  stands  pledged  to  con- 
firm the  Magaguadavic  as  the  St.  Croix,  not  only  in  his  His- 
tory of  the  Province  of  Maine,  but  the  general  Language  he 
has  held  for  years  past  in  public  and  Private ;  He  must  now 
be  fully  convinced  that  the  Event  will  be  unfavorable  to  his 
position  and  wish  to  avoid  the  Odium  and  censure  that  inevit- 
ably will  follow  an  adjiulication  unfavorable  to  his  assertions, 
and  the  only  uiethod  of  doing  this  is  by  suspending  the  present 
question  and  altering  the  nature  of  the  issiie. 


TO    MR.    LISTON. 


IS  re- 
)  case 
otest 
e  and 
John 
one  if 
latter 
louse 


I 


Sir. 


Annapolis,  10th  May,  1798. 


I  did  myself  the  Honor  on  the  second  of  this  month  to  reply 
to  your  favor  of  the  4th  of  April,  since  which  Mr.  Chipman  has 
enclosed  me  a  copy  of  Lord  Grrenvilles  letter  to  you  under  date 
the  9th  January  last,  from  which  I  find  I  had  given  too  exten- 
sive a  construction  to  your  expressions  "  and  to  stii)ulate  some 
other  method  of  ascertaining  the  ciuestion  respecting  the  dis- 
puted boundary  between  the  two  Countries '' ;  and  that  you  in- 
tended nothing  more,  than  that  this  new  Article  should,  in 
addition  to  exonerating  the  (Commissioners  from  expressing  in 
their  declaration  the  Latitude  and  Longitude  at  the  Source  of 
the  River,  prescribe  some  particular  mode  for  perpetuating  the 
boundary  between  the  North  East  Bounds  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  North  West  Angle  of  Nova  Scotia,  the 
terminus  a  quo  the  North  line  deducted  in  the  treaty  of  1783 
is  to  commence. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  remark  the  difficulty  that  at- 


84 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


t, 


:'•! 


;■ 


f 


tends  astronomical,  oi*  indeed  any  otlier  observations  in  nncnl- 
tivatod  ('ountries,  and  Climates  subject  to  fogs  and  cloudy 
weather,  that  a  variation  of  a  few  minutes  will  create  a  greater 
difference  in  the  Longitude,  than  perhaps  the  nearest  collat- 
eral stream  is  really  distant  from  the  River  St.  Croix,  and  that 
if  at  a  future  period  the  Latitude  and  Longitude  should  be 
again  taken,  the  degrees  expressed  in  our  adjudi<^ation,  may 
be  found  to  correspond  with  the  source  of  a  stream,  other  than 
the  one  intended.  To  prevent  these  difficulties,  it  was  the  wish 
of  the  Commissioners  that  they  might  be  authorized  to  omit 
in  their  declaration  the  Latitude  and  Longitudt^  at  the  Source 
of  the  River ;  to  supply  which  it  was  our  intention  to  annex  to 
the  Declaration,  as  his  Lordship  very  properly  advises  a  cor- 
rect map  of  the  Bay  of  Passamaquady  with  all  its  rivers,  par- 
ticularly the  St.  Croix  from  the  mouth  to  the  source  thereof, 
designating  every  stream  or  fork  that  empties  its  waters  into 
it.  A  map  thus  compiled  from  accurate  surveys,  whereon  the 
courses  and  distances  are  minutely  laid  down,  and  every  col- 
lateral stream  repi'csented  on  a  proportionable  Scale  will  inev- 
itably place  the  Source  of  the  River  beyond  the  probability  of 
future  doubt.  The  Comm".  in  establishing  the  point  which  is 
hence  forward  to  be  considered  as  the  Source,  will  naturally  take 
the  upper  most  lake,  or  some  other  prominent  feature  near  the 
Source,  and  from  thence  give  the  bearings  and  distances  to  the 
Source.  It  nuiy  possibly  not  be  amiss  to  erect  a  stone  column 
on  the  Spot,  as  a  monument,  and  to  have  it  revisited  every 
third  year;  I  cannot  however  say  I  think  it  a  measure  either 
safe  or  necessary. 

The  present  dispute  owes  its  origin  to  the  want  of  correct 
maps  of  the  Rivers  in  the  bay  of  Passamaquady,  and  definite 
names  to  the  river  of  all  which  the  Americans  in  1783  were 
equally  ignorant  with  his  Majestys  subjects.  The  dispute  is 
not  as  to  the  Source,  but  which  is  the  River,  and  I  take  it  for 
granted,  the  river  once  established,  the  source  will  readily  be  as- 
certaine<l.  With  alldeferaiu^e  therefore  to  his  Lordships  opinion, 
I  am  led  to  believe  the  map  intended  to  be  annexed  to  the  declar- 
ation, will  prove  a  more  safe  guide,  to  find  the  source  of  the  River 
St.  Croix ;  than  any  monument  that  Art  can  erect.    If  a  mon- 


THE  TRUE   RIVER  ST.   GROIX 


85 


uiiu'iit  is  erected  tlie  map  and  declaration  will  in  future  be  eou- 
trouled  by  that  land  mark,  because  it  is  conii)osed  of  nuitter, 
and  place  is  the  very  object  and  essence  of  its  foundation, 
whereas  the  descriptive  part  of  the  declaration  will  bo  founded 
on  the  map,  which  is  no  moi*e  than  an  ideal  repres(!ntation, 
protracted  from  a  measurement.  Between  I  ^widuals  cases 
fre(piently  occur  whose  landmarks  are  bascK  si  disposed,  he 
same  sinister  motives  may  lead  persons  owninj]^  lands  in  Noi  th 
eastern  parts  of  Massachusetts  to  remove  a  national  boundary 
solemnly  erected  by  the  consent  of  the  two  nations.  Admit- 
ting some  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Massachusetts  were  induced  by 
interest  to  renu^ve  this  structure,  to  the  next  eastern  stream ; 
how  easily  and  privately  might  it  be  effected,  in  a  desert  up- 
wards of  seventy  miles  from  any  settlement?  This  done,  it 
would  only  be  necessary  to  secure  the  testimony  of  one  of  the 
persons  apj)ointed  to  inspect,  and  the  whole  questicm  would  again 
be  open  for  negotiation  or  conti'oversy,  with  the  addi- 
tioiuil  onus  on  the  part  of  (freat  Britain  to  i)rove  the  removal 
of  the  monument;  a  fact  not  easy  under  common  circum- 
stances, and  perhaps  impossible,  if  the  person  who  inspected  it 
on  the  part  of  (Ireat  Britain,  was  dead.  I  admit  sucdi  a  case  to 
be  highly  improbable,  still  while  it  is  within  the  degrees  of 
possibility,  is  it  not  evident  that  a  natural,  notorious  object 
near  the  source  of  the  river,  which  nothing  less  than  a  convul- 
sion of  nature  can  injure  or  destroy,  ami  will  be  a  ])referable 
Guide,  for  the  information  of  succeeding  Ages,  to  a  j)illar  of 
stone,  which  inay  as  easily  be  removed,  as  raised,  and  which 
by  removal  would  only  change  its  place,  but  not  its  fornj  or 
effect.  Extend  this  Idea,  and  suppose  engraved  on  this  Pillar 
an  inscription,  purporting  it  was  erected  by  order  of  His  Maj- 
esty and  the  united  States  of  America  to  identify  and  perpet- 
uate, the  place  hereafter  to  be  considered  as  the  Source  of  the 
River  St.  Croix ;  what  would  the  consequence  be,  if  it  was  re- 
nu)ved  to  the  head  of  the  next  eastern  stream.  The  persons 
sent  to  inspect  it  at  the  expiration  of  three  years,  might  never 
have  been  there  before,  and  of  course  consider  it  as  standing, 
in  its  original  position;  but  admitting  they  suspected  it  had 
been  removed,  neither  the  declaration  of  the  Commissioners 

6A 


86 


CORKESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   HARCLAY 


or  the  Map  subjoined  could  effect  its  locality,  nor  could  it  bo 
reconvcyed  to  the  orif^inal  Station  without  at  least  the  inter- 
position of  the  two  powers,  a  measure  dependant  ou  the  good 
understanding  then  subsisting  between  them. 


FROM   MR.   LISTON. 


ii 


Philadelpliia,  11  June,  17U8. 
Sir, 

I  have  been  favored  with  your  letters  No.  1  and  2  of  this 
year,  from  Anapolis,  enclosing  a  duplicate  of  your  No.  7  of 
last  year,  the  original  of  which  has  not  yet  come  to  hand. 

With  regard  to  the  terms  made  use  of  in  the  full  i)owers  of 
the  respective  commissioners,  which  gave  rise  to  an  api)lication 
by  me  to  the  American  Government  in  conseipience  of  orders 
from  home,  the  fact  is,  that  I  did  not,  on  reading  Lord  Gren 
ville's  letter  on  the  subject,  rightly  compi-ehend  the  difference 
that  had  struck  you.  It  never  once  came  into  my  head  that 
there  could  be  any  doubt  with  respect  to  the  validity  of  the 
decision  of  A  majority  of  the  three  commissioners ;  so  that  I 
merely  copied  what  Lord  Grenville  had  said  to  me,  blindly 
obeying  my  orders,  without  understanding  the  reasons  of 
them.  And  I  believe  the  American  Secretary  of  State  com- 
prehended them  as  little  as  I  did.  I  shall  now  take  an  op- 
portu-  ity  of  explaining  the  matter  to  Colonel  Pickering; 
throuj,h  the  distance  of  time  is  so  great  and  the  dissatisfaction 
shewed  by  him  was  so  slight,  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to 
return  to  the  subject. 

The  additional  article  with  regard  to  the  ascertaining  of  the 
source  of  the  River  St.  Croix  having  been  concluded  in  Lou- 
don, and  ratified  by  His  Majesty  and  by  the  President,  I  take 
an  opportunity  of  forwarding  a  copy  of  it.^ 


1  It  was  signed  in  juondon,  March 
15, 1798;  and  its  ratification  advised 
by  the  Senate,  June  5. 1789,  It  pro- 
vides for  erecting  "  a  suitable  monu- 


ment "  at  the  source  of  the  St.  Croix, 
instead  of  ascertaining  the  latitude 
and  longitude  of  that  spot. 


{I'  t 


i 


THE  TRUE  RIVER  ST.  CROIX 


87 


I  tliink  with  you,  Sir,  that  a  moinimont  of  stone  is  liable  to 
bo  removed  ])y  ill-designinf?  persons,  unless  indeed  it  were 
constructed  at  a  larjje  exptuKie ;  —  such  for  instance  as  an 
Egyptian  obelisk, —  (an  immense  column  of  one  piece  of  stone,) 
—  which  could  not  be  placed  upright  without  a  great  union  of 
force  aiul  skill,  an  operation  that  must  make  a  great  impres- 
sion on  all  the  neighborhood,  and  that  individuals  could  not 
afford  to  undertake.  Since  it  has  been  determined  on  how- 
ever, I  suppose  it  must  be  erected.  At  the  same  time  there  is 
surely  no  reason  why  the  additiotial  evidence, — to  be  derived 
from  a  map  or  chart  of  the  course  of  the  river, — should  not  be 
rendei'cd  as  precise  and  authentick  as  possible.  Natural  ob- 
jects, of  great  size,  of  a  particular  kind,  might  be  designated 
in  the  map,  and  in  the  declaration  or  awiird  of  the  commis- 
sioners. It  is  right,  and  it  is  essentially  necessary,  that  no  pos- 
sible doubt  should  be  left  remaining. 

I  propose  soon  to  take  an  opportunity  of  sounding  the 
American  Miuistry  concerning  the  Islands  in  the  Bay. 


I  remain,  &c 


Rob.  Liston. 


FROM   MR.   CHirMAN   TO   MR.   LT8T0N. 


Providence  23''  Oct.  1798. 


;roix, 
itude 


(Privnte.) 
Sir, 

I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  the  proposed  decision 
and  declaration  of  the  Commissioners  before  whom  I  have  been 
appointed  to  manage  the  business  as  Agent  on  the  part  cf  His 
Majesty,  have  been  communicated  to  me  by  which  it  appears 
that  the  River  Scudiac  claimed  on  the  part  of  his  Majesty  to 
be  the  Source  of  its  Western  branch  is  to  be  decided  to  be  the 
River  St.  Croix  truly  intended  under  that  name  in  the  Treatv 
of  Peace  the  Source  of  this  Branch  is  however  in  this  decisic 
particularized  to  be  where  it  issues  from  the  Lake  Genesaga- 
rumsis  the  Easternmost  of  the  Scudiac  Lakes  and  distant  about 


7^ 
1 


88 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


five  miU's  and  three  quarters  on  a  direct  course  from  where 
tlu!  ('lu'putnaticook  falls  into  it.  Altho'  this  decision  is  very 
flattiu'ing  to  me,  as  it  establishes  every  principle  upon  which 
the  claim  on  the  part  of  his  Majesty  was  founded,  and  is  fully 
accordant  with  the  prayer  of  that  claim,  still  in  it's  conseciuen- 
ces  I  fear  it  will  prove  very  inconvenient  if  not  injurious  to 
the  Interest  of  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  as  a  North  line 
from  this  Source  will  intersect  the  River  St.  John  so  as  to  leave 
the  Military  posts  at  Presquo  Isle,  and  the  (Irand  Falls  and 
every  part  of  the  River  St.  John  above  Presque  Isle,  which  is 
about  Eighty  miles  above  Fredericton  within  the  territory  of 
the  United  States.  Some  inconveniences  will  at  the  same  time 
result  to  the  United  States  from  this  decision,  as  the  North  line 
from  this  Source  will  leave  in  His  Majesty's  dominions  a  con- 
siderable tract  of  Counti'y  lying  between  this  line  and  the 
River  Cheputnaticook  which  has  been  granted  to  Individuals 
by  the  State  of  Massachusots.  These  inconveniences  are  con- 
sidered so  great  by  the  Agent  of  the  United  States  as  to  induce 
him  to  propose  to  me  an  accommodation  between  the  two  Uov- 
ernments,  by  an  Agreement  to  recommend  to  the  Commissioners 
to  de(5ide  the  Northernmost  Source  of  the  Cheputnaticook  to  be 
tilt!  Source  of  the  Saint  Croix,  in  lieu  of  the  Source  above  men- 
tioned. By  such  a  decision  the  North  Line  from  this  Source 
will  run  Nine  Miles  to  the  Westward  of  the  Post  at  Presque 
Isle  and  u])wards  of  four  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  Grand 
Falls  and  will  intersect  the  River  St.  John  one  hundred  and 
thirty  five  miles  above  Fredericton  as  you  will  perceive  by  the 
Maps  ac(!ompanying  this  Letter.  Not  only  therefore  a  very 
great  tract  of  country  will  be  gained  by  the  alteration  of  the 
phuie  to  be  particularized  as  the  Source  of  the  River  but  the 
communication  with  Canada  by  the  River  St.  John  will  remain 
to  a  much  greater  extent  unbroken.  Had  I  any  authority  to 
enter  into  a  negotiation  of  this  nature  I  should  not  hesitate  to 
accede  to  this  proposal  and  to  endeavor  to  effect  a  decision 
in  conformity  to  it,  but  such  as  an  undertaking  is  beyond  my 
duty  or  i)owers  as  his  Majesty's  Agent.  I  consider  it  therefore 
extremely  fortunate  that  I  have  an  opportunity  of  consulting 
you  Sir  upon  this  occasion,  by  your  accidental  arrival  at  this 


i 


THE  TRUE   RIVER  ST.  CROIX 


89 


place  at  a  moment  so  critical,  as  the  final  declaration  is  expected 
to  be  sif^ned  this  day. 

I  have;  been  given  to  understand  that  nothinfj:  has  indnced 
Oolonel  Barclay  to  assent  to  the  decision  now  in  contem])la- 
tion,  })ut  the  consideration,  that  the  Commissioners  wonld 
otherwise  separate  without  (;oming  to  any  determination,  and 
that  it  is  so  dissatisfactory  to  Mr.  Howell  the  American  Com- 
missioner originally  appointed  that  he  will  not  sign  it,  as  he 
ccmtends  for  the  C!lieputnatico()k  itiver  and  that  its  Source 
should  be  particularized  to  be,  where  it  issues  from  tlu!  first  or 
most  eastern  lake  connected  with  that  Hranch  ;  he  is  thercifore 
averse  to  the  proposed  alteration,  but  will  accedes  to  it,  if  ree- 
onunended  by  the  Agent  on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  I 
am  aware  that  difficulties  may  arise  in  carrying  the  proposed 
agreement  into  (;ffect,  as  the  otluu-  Commissioners  have  not 
been  yet  consulted  upon  it,  but  if  I  have  your  approbation  aiul 
sanction  of  the  measure,  I  shall  feel  myself  justified  in  attempt- 
ing to  avail  myself  of  an  opportunity,  which  may  perhaps 
never  again  present  itself  of  effecting  upon  so  easy  terms  a 
settlement  of  this  Boundary  line  in  a  manner  so  favorable  to 
His  Majesty's  interests,  and  at  the  same  time  an  event  so 
desirable  as  an  unanimous  decision  of  the  Commissioners  in 
the  present  cause. 

I  shall  hope  for  an  answer  to  this  Letter  as  speedily  as  may 
consist  with  your  convenience  and  the  urgency  of  the  occasion. 

I  have,  &c. 

W.  Chipman. 


FROM   MR.   LISTON   TO   MR.   CHIPMAN. 


Providence,  23'  Oct.  1798. 


{Private.) 


Sir, 

I  have  considered  with  attention  your  Letter  of  this  day,  and 
it  appears  to  me  evident,  that  the  adoption  of  the  River  Che- 
putnaticook  as  a  part  of  the  Boundary  between  his  Majesty's 


TT 


1 


90 


(;ORRESP0NDENCE   OP  THOMAS   RAUCLAY 


II! 

!; 


American  Dominions,  and  tlioso  of  the  United  States  in  pref- 
onniee  to  a  line  drawn  from  tlie  Kasternmost  point  of  the 
Seudiae  Lakt;s,  would  be  attended  witli  eonsiderabh'  advantagfe. 
It  would  fjfivo  an  addition  of  territory  to  the  Province  of  New 
lirunswieli,  to^jether  with  a  greater  extent  of  Navij^ation  on 
St.  Johns  River,  and  above  all  a  lonfj;er  streteh  of  mitural 
frontier  eahndated  to  prevent  future  diflReulties  and  discussions 
Itetween  the  two  countries. 

If  therefore  by  assentinj?  to  the  pro])osal  of  the  American 
Aj;ent  you  can  brinjij  al)out  the  unanimous  concurrence  of  he 
(Commissioners  in  this  measure,  I  am  of  opinion  that  you  \.  ill 
promote  His  Majesty's  real  interests ;  and  I  will  take  the  earli- 
est opportunity  with  a  view  to  your  justifiention  el'  expressing; 
these  my  Sentiments  on  the  Subject  to  his  Majesty's  Secretary 
of  State.  I  have,  &c., 

Rob.  Liston. 


I 


1       ' 


TO   LOUD   GRENVILLE. 

Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  lOtli  Nov.,  1798. 
My  Lord, 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  your  Lordship  that  I  returned 
to  this  place  on  Saturday  last  from  Providence  in  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island,  having  on  the  26  of  October  compleated  the 
Commission  with  which  his  Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  honor 
me ;  the  event  of  which  I  trust  will  meet  His  most  Gracious 
approbation. 

A  copy  of  the  Declaration  of  the  Commissioners  is  herewith 
inclosed  to  your  Lordship,  an  orij^inal  of  which  with  a  map  of 
the  Territory  in  dispute  has  been  delivered  to  his  Majesty's 
agent.i  Your  Lordship  will  observe  that  the  Event  has  been 
very  favorable,  the  River  claimed  on  the  part  of  His  Majesty 
as  the  true  St.  Croix  having  been  confirmed  as  such  by  the 

I  The  .award  of  the  Commissioners    various  other  documents  relating  to 
will  be  found  in  American  State  Pa-    this  matter  are  printed, 
pers,  For.  Rel.,Vol.  VI,  p.  921,  where 


1^ 


I 


ligto 


THE  TRITE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


91 


('oiniiiissioiicrs.  It  was  not,  however,  in  their  power  to  cxteiid 
tlie  Western  Limits  of  tlie  hite  Province  of  Nova  Seotia  to  tlie 
extr(Mn(*  l»oint  elainied  by  His  Majesty's  Ai^eiit,  to  wit,  "ad 
seatiircf^int'in  sive  fonteni  ex  ocreideutiili  parte  ejnsih'ni,  (pii  se 
prinnini  praedicto  Huvio  iniinisset,"  the  words  made  use  of  in 
IIk'  (Jrant  of  Kin^'  James  to  Sir  William  Ah'xanth'r.  Hail  the 
boundaries  contained  in  the  Commissions  to  the  (Jovernors  of 
Nova  S(!otia  from  the  year  \li>',i  tallied  with  thos(!  in  Sir  Wil- 
liam Alexander's  (Jrant,  Mr.  Jienson  the  third  ('omnussioner 
wonld  i-eadily  have  j^one  with  me  in  establishinj;'  tlu^  most  re- 
mote Western  sprinjj  on  thci  Seoudiac,  as  the  Sonrce  of  the 
River  St.  ( 'roix,  bnt  as  those  Commissions  use  only  the  expres- 
sion of  fo  till'  SoKtrc  of  the  nicer  ISt.  Croix,  Mr.  Howell  con- 
ceived the  Chipntnatueook  from  its  snperior  nuijj^nitnde  to  be 
the  branch,  we  were  to  follow  for  the  Soui'ce;  while  ^Ir.  lien- 
son  and  myself  were  of  oi)iiiioii  that  the  continuation  of  the 
Seoodiac  was  the  real  St.  Croix,  because  it  had  ever  retained 
the  same  Indian  name  with  its  waters,  below  this  ranutication 
of  the  River.  Mr.  Benson,  however,  could  not  from  the  words 
of  the  treaty  of  Peace  in  1783;  or  the  boundaries  of  the  I'rov- 
ince  of  Nova  Scotia  as  expressed  in  the  Connnissions  to  the 
tlovernors  from  the  year  1703  lind  himself  authorized  t(  pro- 
ceed farther  Up  the  River  Scoudiac  for  the  Source,  than  where 
the  waters  issue  from  the  lake  Genesagaragum-siss  into  the 
Scoudiac,  a  distance  of  not  more  than  five  nules  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Chiputnatecook,  as  your  Lordship  will  observe 
bv  revertinj^  to  the  maj)  annexed  to  the  declaration.  The  fol- 
lowing were  his  objections.  That  previous  to  the  year  1703 
the  only  bounds  to  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  were  those 
expressed  in  the  Grant  to  Sir  William  Alexander,  tla^  then 
Western  limits  of  which  "were  the  most  remote  Source  or 
Spring  on  the  Westeiui  side  of  the  said  River  (the  St.  Croix) 
which  first  mingles  its  waters  with  the  aforesaid  River."  That 
this  most  Western  Source  or  fountain,  was  frcjm  a  literal  trans- 
lation of  the  words,  a  stream  of  water  diflferent  from  the  St. 
Croix,  and  at  all  Events  could  not  ex  vi  termini  merelv  be  con- 
sidered  the  Source  of  the  River  St.  Croix ;  that  the  Commis- 
sions to  the  respective  Governors  of  Nova  Scotia  from  the 


'I 


92 


C'OUKKSPONDP^NCE  OP   THOMAS   BARVIiAY 


ostablislmiciit  of  tlio  Province  to  tlio  year  17(i8  wore  general 
utul  witliout  t'xprcssiiij^  any  particular  IkhiikIs.  In  \1(V.],  when 
ilio  Fi-endi  ceded  Canada  to  (Jreat  Hritain,  the  Nortliern  limits 
of  Nova  Scotia  were  narrowed  and  confined  to  the  Iliirhlands, 
&('.,  &c.,  a  (^cnnniission  to  Montatfue  Wilinot  as  Governor  of 
NovaS<'otia  issued  soon  after  in  which  commission  new  bounds 
were  c^iven  to  Nova  Scotia  in  tlie  Words  followinjr.  "bounded 
on  the  Westward  by  a  line  c  'awn  from  ('aj)e  Sable  across  the 
enterance  of  the  liay  of  Pundy  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  River  St. 
Croix,  by  the  said  Hiver  to  its  Soinrc  and  by  a  lino  drawn  due 
North  from  thence  to  the  Soutliern  boundary  of  onr  ('olony  of 
Quebe(\" 

These  same  boundaries  are  expressed  in  several  Subse(iuent 
Commissions.  That  tlu^  Words  to  its  Source  in  tlieso  com- 
missions and  in  the  treaty  of  Peace  in  178;),  arc  very  different 
from  those  of  ''  most  remote  sonrco  or  Sprinj^  on  the  Western 
side  of  ti.e  said  River  whic\  first  minj^les  its  waters  with  the 
aforesaid  river"  made  use  of  in  Sir  William  Alexanders  (i rant. 
That  a  chain  of  Lakes  could  not  be  called  a  river,  in  proof  ol" 
which  Ml".  Benson  referred  to  the  second  Article  of  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  Detween  His  Majesty  and  the  United  States 
of  America,  wherein  the  River  St.  Lawrence  is  considered  to 
cease  at  the  Lake  Ontario,  and  all  the  Waters  that  connect  the 
lakes  from  Ontario  to  the  lake  of  the  Woods  an!  called  water 
(^onnnunications  and  not  the  River  St.  Lawrence.  That  the 
lake  in  the  Woods  was  as  much  the  Source  of  this  River,  as 
the  most  remote  western  lake  of  the  Scoudiac  was  of  the  St. 
Croix.  lie  therefore  could  not  with  j)ropriety  go  beyond  the 
first  lak(>  in  tlie  Scondiac  for  the:  Source  of  the  St.  Ci'oix — so 
far  ho  could  consistantly  ^o,  beyond  it,  all  was  nncertaiti,  and 
mere  conjecture.  Mr.  Howell  adopted  a  similar  mode  of 
arj^uinf:^  for  the  Source  of  the  St.  Croix  on  the  Chiputnate- 
cook.  After  much  debate  between  ^Lc.  Benson  and  myself 
as  to  the  sonrce  of  the  River,  His  Majesty's  Agent,  with  the 
ad\nce  of  Mr.  Liston  the  Envoy  Extraordinary  reques'^^d  me 
to  acceed  to  the  Chiputnatecook  provided  1  conld  obtain  the 
northwest  Source  of  that  River.  To  this  point  Mr.  Benson, 
an,  a  matter  of  negotiation  and  accommodation  between  the 


I 


I 


THE  TRUE   RIVER   ST.   CROIX 


93 


uiitions,  i-eadily  assented.^  Mr.  Howell  declined  boinj^f  a  party 
to  the  decliiratioii ;  until  it  was  enfjrossed  and  ready  for  ex- 
ecuition.  He  then  reluctantly  directed  his  name  to  be  inserted 
in  the  Declaration,  which  he  eventually  sifxiied.  By  takinj; 
the  Northwest  Sonrce  of  the  ('liiputnatecook,  instead  of  the 
Scoudiae  whore  it  joins  the  lakes,  we  {jjain  a  very  considerable 
addition  of  territory,  and  the  line  to  be  drawn  from  tlience 
due  North  will  intersect  the  River  St.  John  very  high  up, 
some  distfuico  above  the  Grand  falls.  Whereas  a  North  line 
from  the  hike  (Tenesagara<4'uin-Siss  would  have  crossed  the 
Kiver  St.  John  to  the  Southward  of  the  Post  at  Presque  Isle. 
By  the  present  decision  all  grants  under  the  ('rowu  are  se- 
cured. The  mast  country  preserved  and  about  nine-tenths  of 
the  Lands  in  dispute  confirmed  to  the  King;  in  addition  to 
all  which  the  Cliiputuatecook  putting  the  Grant  of  Alexander 
out  of  the  Question,  is  beyond  all  doubt  the  pi'in(!ipal  feeder 
of  the  River  St.  Croix,  and  of  course  tin;  Braiuih  on  wliicli  the 
Source  is  to  be  found  and  from  its  direct  course  an  inflnitely 
preferable  national  boundary  to  the  npper  part  of  the  Scou- 
diae. I  shall  leave  to  His  Majesty's  Agent  to  explain  the 
efft^ct  our  decision  will  have  on  the  Bay  of  Passamafjuady 
and  tlic  Islands  therein ;  adding  only  this  remark  tliat  tlie 
Commissioners  could  not  find  the  mouth  of  the  River  St. 
Croix  (agreeably  to  the  treaty  of  Peace)  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 

1  Jutlge  Benson's  views  as  sum-  not  capable  of  being  liquidated  by 

mari/ed  in   this    letter,   were  pre-  calculation    or    dcjiuitr    Itule,    and 

served  ir.oro    at    length    in   a  MS.  tlier«>fore    to    be    assessed    accord- 

nienioranduin,  a  copy  of  whieli  was  ing  to  (linccrniiiviit  or  discretion;  a 

filed  in  1S17  with  the  Commissioners  latitude  of  arbitraraeui  is  in  such 

under  the  4tli  Article  of  the  Treaty  cases  sujtposed  to  be  permitted  to 

of  tihent.     It  is  publisiied  in  Uec.  the  Jurors,  but  as  they  must  at  the 

Mass.  Hist.  Soe.,  Oct.,  1887.    In  re-  same   time  agree  in  a  precise  sum, 

gard  to  the  compromise  concerning  accommodation  of  sentiment  .among 

the    point    to    bo   selected   as    the  them  to  a  degree  is  necessary  and 

source  of  the   St.   Croix,  lie  says:  consequently  jnstilialde."     This  ex- 

"  The  reference,  as  it  respected  the  plains  Benson's  readiness  to  assent 

*V)(/nY' of  the  River  being  as  it  wore  to   the  selection    of  the  northwest 

an    appeal    to    mere   Judgment  or  branch  of  the  Chiputnaticook  "as 

opinion,  is  in  that  view  analogous  a  matter  of  negotiation  and  accom- 

to  cases  of  assessment  of  damages,  modation." 


94 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


% 


but  at  a  Point  near  St.  Andrews  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of 
Passamaquady. 

I  have  repeatedly  observed  to  your  Lordship  that  the  sur- 
veys of  tlie  Rivers  were  the  sole  cause  of  procrastinating  the 
decision.  The  Arguments  also  of  the  Agents  have  been  dif- 
fuse in  the  extreme.  These  were  closed  on  the  22d  of  Sep- 
tember, and  the  maps  compiled  from  the  Surveys  by  the  Sur- 
veyor General  of  New  Bruuswic  arrived  at  Providence  the 
loth  of  October.  The  Commissioners  on  that  day  entered 
on  their  decision  and  the  declaration  was  executed  on  the 
2Gth  of  tliat  month.  It  has  been  my  constant  study  to  pro- 
mote His  Majesty's  Interest  by  every  means  within  my  power 
consistent  with  my  duty  as  a  Commissiouer ;  and  if  my  con- 
duct liappily  meets  the  approbation  of  my  Sovereign,  your 
Lordship  and  His  Majestys  other  Ministers,  it  will  afford  me 
infinite  satisfaction. 


'S3 


4 


of 

lur- 
the 

Llif- 

»ep- 
iur- 
the 
red 
the 
jro- 
vvor 
hon- 
our 
me 


CHAPTER  III 

CONSUL-GENERAL,    17t)9-lS0'J 

THE  qu(^stion  of  the  Riv^er  St.  Croix  boiiiji:  thus  hap- 
pily disposed  of,  Colonel  Barclay, —  after  a  brief 
visit  to  New- York, —  returned  to  Nova  Sootia  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  year  1798  to  take  up  again  his  duties  at 
the  bar  and  in  the  legishiture,  and  to  go  on  with  tlie  de- 
velopment and  sale  of  his  lands.  His  children  were 
fast  growing  up,  and  their  settlement  in  life  was  begin- 
ning to  claim  his  constant  care  and  thought.  Of  the 
three  eldest  Eliza  was  indeed  happily  married;  but 
Henry  was  a.  -ost  out  of  his  apprenticeship  as  a  clerk 
with  Hartshorne  &  Boggs,  of  Halifax,  and  money  would 
be  wanting  to  establish  him  in  business;  while  De  Lan- 
cey  was  loitering  away  his  time  as  an  officer  in  a  f  encible 
regiment. 

To  support  a  family  of  ten  children  —  to  marry  the 
daughters  —  to  buy  commissions  and  partnerships  for 
the  sons  —  was  no  easy  task  upon  the  income  and  with 
the  opportunities  of  a  lawyer  in  a  Nova  Scotia  village. 
But  their  stay  in  the  British  pi'ovinces  was  nearly  at 
an  end.  Barclay's  report  on  the  boundary  had  hardly 
reached  the  Foreign  Office  when  ho  was  appointed 
British  Consul-General  for  the  Eastern  States  of  Amer- 
ica in  the  room  of  Sir  John  Temple,  deceased. ' 

1  Sir  John  Teraplo  Bart,  was  tho  relative,  Sir  Kichanl  i'emple,  of 
son  of  Robert  Temple  of  Boston,  Stowe  In  Buckinghamshire,  in  1786, 
Mass.    On  the  death  of  his  distant    he  succeeded  to  this  ancient  baron- 

95 


'I  '' 


96 


CORUESPUNDliNCE  OP  THOMAS   JiARCLAY 


il 


11 


■  * 
I 


i\ 


Oil  Juno  If),  1799,  Barclay  and  his  wife  arrived  once 
more  in  New  York  to  find  again  the  lionie  which  they 
had  lost  nearly  sixteen  years  before.  He  was  now  just 
forty-six ;  she  a  year  younjjjer.  Their  danjj;hters  were 
all  with  them,  but  of  the  sons,  only  Henry  and  Beverley 
accompanied  their  parents  to  New- York.  (Tet)rj!je  and 
Anthony,  the  two  little  boys,  were  at  school  at  Wind- 
sor, N.  S. ;  for  the  gentleman  of  genius  at  £30  a  year, 
whom  Colonel  Barclay  had  wished  to  import  from 
8cotlan<l,  had  never  been  discovered.  Thomas  the 
younger  had  also  been  left  behind  at  school;  but  on 
S(»ptember  1,  1799,  being  then  nearly  sixteen,  H.  M.  S. 
Boston  received  him  aboard  as  a  midshipman,  and 
he  sailed  away  for  his  share  of  glory  and  pi-ize-monoy. 
De  Lancey,  too,  was  soon  to  leave  Nova  Scotia,  foi*  on 
January  11,  1800,  lie  was  appointed  an  Ensign  in  the 
Forty-first  Kegiment  of  Foot,  then  stationed  in  CaTiada. 

The  summer  of  1799  was  probably  passed  by  Barclay 
and  his  household  near  Flushing;  but  in  the  Autunm  of 
that  year  he  hired  the  liouse  No.  142  Greenwich  street, 
at  what  he  considered  the  extravagant  rent  of  £250, 
New- York  currency,  or  $625  a  year.  His  salary  was 
nominally  £1500  a  year,  but  it  was  paid  with  the 
greatest  irregularity  and  was  subject  to  heavy  deduc- 
tions for  taxes,  office  fees,  and  other  impositions.  Bar- 
clay entertained  largely,  seeing,  as  he  says,  more  com- 
pany in  a  month  than  Sir  John  Temple  in  a  year.  But 
writing  a  couple  of  years  later  to  his  sister  Cornelia  in 
England,  he  comjdains  that  neither  he  nor  his  wife 
"relish  the  mode  of  life  which  we  are  compelled  to 

ett'y.    Hemarried,  January  20, 17(37,  York,  November  17,  1798.   A  mouu- 

Eliziibeth,    daughter   of    Governor  ment  erected  to  his  memory  stands 

Bovvdoin,    of    Massachusetts;    Avas  in  St.  Paul's  Church  on  the  north  aide 

appointed  British  Consul-General  in  of  the  chancel.    His  successor's  com- 

Fobruary,  1785,  and  died  in  New-  mission  bears  date  January  20, 1799. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    171)9-1802 


97 


from  my  situation  ;  and  yot,"  ho  adds,  "  wo  aro  far  from 
enturinjjj  into  tlie  iijay  cirolos  of  dissipation.  In  two 
years  I  havo  boon  only  to  ono  assombly  and  two  i)lays, 
to  privato  balls  probably  oight  or  ton.  Both  of  ns 
grow  old,  are  fond  of  early  hours,  and  have  lost  all  rel- 
ish for  those  gay  Soones  that  once  afforded  pleasure." 
About  this  period  (for  the  date  is  not  ([uite  coi'tain) 
Maria  ]3arelay,  the  seoond  daught<'r,  was  marri«'d  to 
Simon  Fraser,  a  gentleman  of  tlu^  name  and  family  of 
that  Lord  Lovat  who  "sutTored"  in  174;").  Mr.  Fraser 
settled  in  British  Uuianaa^^  u  planter,  living  on  the  river 
Berbioe,  and  so  Maria  di;>appearod  henoeforth  from  the 
family  eirele. 

Public  affairs  for  the  first  throe  years  after  Barclay's 
return  to  Now- York  wore  a  doubtful  aspect.  Tlu*  Fed- 
eralists went  out  with  Adams  and  the  Republicans 
came  in  with  Jefferson.  The  troubles  with  England 
wore  temporarily  ended,  but  no  man  could  toll  when 
they  might  break  out  again.  With  Franco  we  w{U'e 
actually  at  war.  In  Europe  there  was  no  peace.  Ma- 
rengo and  Hohenlinden  were  fought  on  land,  and  the 
battle  of  Copenhagen  at  sea.  England  took  Malta  an<l 
Minorca  and  drove  the  French  from  Egypt.  Pitt  fell 
from  power,  and  Addington  succeeded  him — to  make 
peace  with  France  and  imperil  relations  with  the  United 
States.  And  some  echo  of  those  great  events  found  its 
way  into  New- York,  where  peace  reigned  and  merchants 
were  growing  rich  upon  the  profits  of  the  neutral  trade. 


Imonu- 
^tauds 
hli  side 
jscom- 
|,  1799. 


€i 


TO   LOUD   GllENVILLE. 

AnnapDlis,  11th  May,  1799. 
My  Lord: 

I  was  last  Evening  honored  with  your  Lordships  dispatch 
of  the  19th  of  January  last,  informing  me  of  your  having  had 


98 


COKRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   HARCLAY 


the  Goodness  to  submit  my  name  to  Ilis  Majesty,  as  a  proper 
person  to  siicceed  the  late  Sir  John  Temple,  as  His  Majesty's 
Consul  General  for  the  Eastern  States  of  Ameriea,  and  that 
His  Majesty  had  been  graciously  pleased  to  confer  upon  me 
that  appointment.  Also  that  my  commission  would  be  trans- 
mitted to  Mr.  Liston  by  the  next  Packet,  and  that  it  was  His 
Majesty's  pleasure  I  shoidd  remove  to  New  York  with  as 
much  expedition  as  the  situation  of  my  private  affairs  will 
allow. 

Permit  me  to  intreat  your  Lordship  to  lay  at  His  Majestys 
feet,  my  most  humble  a(!knowledg(!nients  for  this  repeated  in- 
stance of  His  Royal  Favor,  and  with  all  due  submission  to 
assure  His  Majesty  I  shall  by  an  unremitted  attention  to  my 
duty  endeavor  in  some  degree  to  merit  this  most  gracious 
testimony  of  His  Royal  confidence,  and  I  earnestly  requ(!st 
your  Lordship  will  be  pleased  to  accept  of  my  most  grateful 
thanks  for  your  kind  offices,  and  I  trust  my  conduct  will  in 
no  instance  afford  your  Lordship  occasion  to  regret  the  favor 
you  have  conferred  on  me. 

I  shall  with  all  possible  expedition  arrange  my  private  af- 
fairs and  hope  within  a  moutlj  from  this  day  to  leave  this 
Province  for  New  York,  of  whicli  I  shall  acquaint  Mr.  Liston 
by  the  earliest  conveyance. 


FROM   MR.   BROUGHTON. 


Sir: 


Downing  Street,  July  2d,  1799. 


I  was  favored  with  the  receipt  of  your  Letter  on  Saturday 
last  inclosing  a  Power  of  Attorney  to  enable  me  to  receive 
your  Appointments  as  His  Majesty's  Consul  General  to  the 
Eastern  States  of  America.  I  lose  no  time  in  returning  you 
my  thanks  for  this  mark  of  your  Confidence,  and  I  shall  not 
fail  immediately  after  the  receipts  of  any  part  of  your  Allow- 
ances to  pay  the  Balance  over  to  Messrs.  Brook,  Watson  & 
Co.  after  deducting  the  usual  Treasury  and  Exchequer  Fees 
and  the  Agency  of  G:G:0  per  Quarter.    The  Particulars  of 


i 


0' 


I 


CONSUL-GENiaiAL,   1799-1802 


99 


wliicli  I  shall  not  fail  to  transmit  by  the  first  Mail  after  sneh 
Payment  has  been  made. 

It  may  be  jjroper  to  inform  yon  that  the  Civil  List  is  now 
Five  Qnarters  in  Arrears;  so  that  it  will  in  all  probability  1)0 
some  time  in  April  or  May  1800  before  the  Appointments  dne 
5th.  Jany.  17!)9  are  issued  at  the  Excjlunpier. 

I  send  yon  the  Morning  Herald,  whieh  altho'  by  no  means 
a  favorite  Paper  of  mine  with  regard  to  Politicks,  yet  as  it  eer- 
tainly  gives  the  News  and  Li((s  of  the  Duy  more  in  (letail  and 
in  a  more  lively  mainuir  than  any  other  Jonrnal,  I  have 
selceted  it  nnder  the  idea  that  it  will  prove  the  most  enter- 
taining. 

I  am,  &c 

Chas.  R.  Broitghton.i 


TO   LOKP   GKENVILLE. 


irday 
;ceive 
|o  the 
you 
L  not 
Lllow- 
pon  & 
Fees 
Irs  of 


^ 


I 


Nfw  York,  8th  Au.u'usi,  17fl9. 
My  Lord: 

In  my  dispatch  of  the  lOth  of  June,  I  stated  to  yonr  Lord- 
ship the  oltjection  that  lay  to  the  issuing  of  my  exe(iuatur  as 
His  Majesty's  Consul  Cenciral  for  the  Eastern  KStates  of  America 
in  consequence  of  my  commission  not  having  arrived,  since 
which,  on  a  personal  interview  with  Mr.  Pickering,  the  Ameri- 
can S('(!r(^tary  of  State  at  Philadelphia,  the  exceptions  have 
beim  so  far  obviated  that  letters  l*atent  have  issued  from  the 
President  of  the  United  States  recognizing  me  as  His  Majes- 
ty's Consnl  Genei'al  and  granting  all  the  Priviledges  appertain- 
ing to  that  office.  I  at  the  same  time  received  a  letter  from 
the  Seijretary  of  State,  re(iuesting  me  to  forward  my  commis- 
sion as  soon  as  received  that  it  might  be  inrolled  and  an  exe- 
(puitnr  be  made  out.  The  sitnatiou,  my  Lord,  of  His  Majesty's 
Ships  of  War,  Packets,  and  Merchant  Vessels  coming  to  this 
and  the  other  ports  in  the  United  States  of  America  is  very 

1  The  writer  of  this  letter  was  a    ficcrs  as  their  agent  to  settle  ac- 
clerk  in  the  Foreign  Office,  who  was    counts  in  London, 
employed  by  various    consuhir  of- 


'    ■    ' 


100 


CDRHKSPONDENCE  OF   THOMAS    RAHOLAY 


unploasant  and  truly  detrimcTital  to  the  Service.  Captain 
Don^'lass  of  His  Majesty's  Ship  lioston  who  convoyed  a  nuni- 
l)er  of  American  Merchantmen  safe  to  tlieir  respective  ports, 
arrived  at  New  York  ahout  the  20th  of  June.  Tlie  crew  of  the 
Barge  tliat  rowed  him  to  shore  were  in  liis  presence  invited  by 
a  number  of  persons  wlio  surroundc  J  the;  Barge,  to  desert  t\w 
Service,  witli  promises  of  better  pay  and  protection.  In  con- 
sequence! of  this  several  of  C!apt.  Douglasses  best  men  left  the 
barge.  He  complaine^d  to  the  Mayor  of  tliis  (Uty  who  replied 
that  if  he  could  identify  the  persons  that  seduced  his  nuni  he 
would  luive  them  apprehended.  This  was  impracticable,  being 
a  total  stranger  in  the  City.  His  Majesty's  Packet  boats  in- 
vrtria])ly  lose  a  part  of  the  Crews  by  desertion,  who  the  instant 
they  g(!t  on  shore  are  at  Liberty,  or  what  is  still  worse  and 
more  provoking  are  supported  by  men  whose  employment  it 
is  to  procure  Seamen  for  American  Merchant  Vessels.  If  a 
(^aptain  of  a  pacsket  was  to  meet  any  of  his  absconding  Seamen 
and  attempt(Ml  to  carry  them  by  force  on  board,  it  is  nu)re 
than  proba})le  they  would  be  rescued  by  a  mol),  but  admitting 
he  succeeded,  a  habeas  corpus  woidd  again  set  them  at  liberty, 
the  Crimps  being  ever  ready  as  bail.  If  the  Captain  of  the 
Packet  is  either  Plaintiff  or  Defendant,  he  must  remain  in  this 
City  with  his  witnesses  until  the  Cause  is  tried,  a  measure 
whi(di  is  inconsistent  with  the  Service.  Of  course  he  is  com- 
pelled to  give  up  the  pursuit.  The  Packets  frcipiently  leave 
this  with  little  more  than  half  their  compliment  of  Men,  and 
trust  to  Halifax  for  the  renuiinder.  I  recollect  in  May  last 
one  of  them  was  detained  several  days  in  Halifax  for  want  of 
men,  and  if  I  am  iu)t  mistaken,  Admiral  Vandeput  eventually 
furnished  her  from  his  own  ship.  Merchant  ships  are  in  a 
similar  situation,  and  complaints  to  me  are  daily.  The  enor- 
mous pay  allowed  by  the  Americans  to  Seamen  is  too  great  a 
temptation  for  our  Sailors  to  resist.  I  have  taken  the  liberty 
to  state  the  al)ove  to  your  Lordship  possessed  of  the  facts.  An 
additional  article  to  the  treaty,  authorizing  the  issuing  of  a 
warrant  for  ai)prehending  British  Seamen  deserting,  with  an 
Act  of  Congress  inflicting  pains  and  penalties  on  persons 
seducing  or  even  taking  into  their  Servi(!e  British  Seamen, 


■:.( 


^M 


CONSUL-QKNEKAL,    17l)l)-1802 


101 


would  effiictually  rcnuuly  the  lOvil.  Mr.  Liston  iufonns  mc 
thiit  ho  has  luul  suvoral  couvorsatious  on  the  subject  with  tlie 
Ainericau  Sei^retary  of  State,  and  luis  ho])es  that  soniethinj? 
will  be  af?reod  on  this  year  for  the  preventinj^  of  these  evils. 

Tile  expense  of  living  in  this  City  is  so  enormously  ex- 
travajj^ant  and  the  number  of  stranjrers  resorting  to  it,  who 
naturally  expect  invitations  and  attention  from  His  Majesty's 
Consul  so  great,  that  the  Salary  fj;raciously  allowed  me  by  His 
Majesty  will  fall  infinitely  short  of  my  annual  expenses  when 
contracted  by  the  strictest  Oe(!onomy.  Under  these  einnim- 
stances,  my  Lord,  I  shall  in  future  presume  to  take,  from  For- 
eigners only,  fees  for  granting  certificates  until  your  Loi'dships 
pleasure  is  known.  The  annual  anumnt  nuiy  at  the  utmost 
pay  my  house  rent  in  this  eity.  I  consider  it  for  tlu^  Honor 
of  my  Sovereign  and  the  Interest  of  the  Nation,  that  I  should 
live  genteely  and  hospitably  so  as  to  secure  a  good  uiuler- 
standing  with  the  official  Characters  of  this  (lovernment  and 
all  respectable  strangers  who  may  visit  this  CHty,  a  measure 
iiulis])ensibly  necessary  to  promise  early  information  and  to 
facilitate  business. 


this 
jasure 
corn- 
leave 
,  and 
y  last 
ant  of 
ually 
in  a 
enor- 
reat  a 
berty 
i.    An 
>•  of  a 
th  an 
rsons 
men, 


.| 


TO   CAPT.  BABRON,   UNITED   STATES   SHIP   CONSTELLATION. 


Sm; 


Hallitts  Cove  Long  Island  1st  Oct'  179!). 


Captain  Champion  of  the  private  armed  British  Merchant 

ship  the acquaints  that  since  his  arrival  in  the  port  of 

New  York,  many  of  his  Seamen  have  deserted  and  left  the  Ship 
in  violation  of  their  shipping  articles,  and  that  some  of  them 
have  been  entertained  at  your  recruiting  rendevous  in  the 
City  and  eventually  entered  and  received  on  board  the  united 

1  Tho  Constellation  was  built  at  of  tlie  ship  of  1812.    From  August  2 

Baliimore  and  launched  in  1797  ;  in  to  November  11,  1799,  she  was  com- 

1812  she  was   rebuilt,    and  techni-  mandod  by  Captain  Samuel  Barron, 

cally  is  still  afloat;  but  she  has  been  who  is  not  to  be  confounded  with 

repaired  so  much  from  time  to  time  his  brother,  the  unfortunate  Janus 

that  there  can  be  but  little  left  even  Barron. 

7A 


-L-    I 


102 


COKUESPONDKNCE  OP  THOMAS   nAIlCLAY 


■ 

1 

. 

states  Fi'if^ate  under  your  (Joniniand.  I  luivo  iicquaintod 
C'aptain  Chaiiipioii  of  my  liavinj^  mo  (loul)t  but  you  wouhl  on 
a  personal  application  from  him,  deliver  up  sueh  men  as  be- 
lonj^  to  his  Ship,  for  whiiih  purpose  he  now  waits  on  you. 
lie  will  inform  y(»n  of  the  veiy  special  condition  on  which  he 
is  chartered  and  the  very  probable  serious  (!oiuse(|uences 
which  will  follow  to  his  owners  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of 
tlioso  Men. 

In  addition  to  the  treaty  existing;  between  (Ireat  Hritain 
and  the  united  States  of  America ;  I  am  convinced  the  deli- 
cate situations  wherein  those  two  powers  stand  each  to  the 
otiier  with  respect  to  seamen,  will  have  that  weight  with  you 
which  the  present  ease  demands. 

From  the  very  liandsome  and  honoral)le  nuinner  in  which 
you  have  ever  been  represented;  I  anticipate  a  favorable 
issue  to  this  application. 

As  the  present,  from  the  CV)nstellation  bein<;  under  orders 
for  sailing  the  day  after  tomorrow,  will  probably  l)e  tlu!  oidy 
opportunity  I  shall  have  of  writing  you  on  this  Subject  pre- 
vious to  your  return ;  I  am  reluctantly  compelled  to  add,  that 
in  case  men  are  not  given  up  I  shall  be  under  the  necessity 
not  only  of  representing  the  case  officially  to  your  Govern- 
nuiut,  but  of  transmitting  an  authenti(!at(!d  Statement  of 
Fa(!ts  to  be  laid  before  His  Britannic  Majesty,  a  nu-asure  you 
must  be  sensible  fraught  with  the  most  serious  consequences. 


TO   MES.   GRACE   KEMPE,   LONDON. 

New  York  2d  Oct'  1799. 
Madam  : 

Your  favor  of  the  JV  of  June  came  to  hand  only  a  few  days 
since  by  the  July  Packet  the  Marquis  of  Kildare.  Accept  my 
best  thanks  for  your  polite  and  very  friendly  congratulations 
on  my  late  appointment  as  His  Majesty s  Consul  General  for 
the  Eastern  States  of  America. 

I  am  gratefully  sensible  of  this  testimony  of  Royal  con- 
fidence and  favor ;  and  M"-  Barclay  and  myself  much  grati- 


4 


r 


CONSUL-GKNERAIi,   17D9-1H02 


103 


,'« 


fiod  in  Ix'injr  onco  moro  united  in  tlio  sanit'  circle  with  many 
of  those  relations  and  friends  wo  so  reluctantly  parted  with 
at  the  close  of  the  AnuM'ican  War. —  An  interval,  however,  of 
liftecn  years  has  nnide  an  astonishing  alteration  in  this  City; 
so  that  I  feel  myself  almost  a  pertVust  stran^.ir  in  the  ploco  of 
my  nativity.'  —  Hy  removinjr  to  Nova  Scotia,  new  connec- 
tions and  accjuaintanees  were  formed  to  whom  from  their 
amial)l(!  manners  and  storlinjjj  worth  wi;  became  ])articularly 
attiudied  &  of  course  the  ])artin}^  with  these  in  a  great 
measure  damped  the  pleasure  a  removal  to  this  ('ountry 
would  otherwise  have  pi-oduced;  in  addition  to  this  the 
healthy  and  eharminj;  elinuite  of  Nova  Scotia  was  r(du<^tantly 
resi<,'ned  by  us  for  that  of  New  York  which  nev(M'  was  healthy 
and  latterly  has  become  every  Summer  really  pestilential. 
New  York  at  this  monunit  is  nearly  deserted  owiiif?  to  the 
prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever.  I  have  not  been  in  it  for  up- 
wards of  a  fortnififht,  nor  shall  I  enter  it  ajjain  until  the  fever 
is  removed.  —  All  the  (rcntlemen  of  tho  Law  havt^  also  re- 
moved into  the  Country,  so  that  at  pre^;<'nt  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  sanction  with  their  opinion,  that  which  I  shall  give 
you  of  ray  own. 

You  are  undoubtedly  entitled  Madam  to  your  dower  in  the 
Lands  whei'cof  my  worthy  frieiul,  your  husband,  was  pos- 
sessed.'- This  dovvei"  will  be  valuahle  in  propoj'tiou  to  the 
Lands,  and  the  State  of  Cultivation  they  are  in  —  at  .all  P^vents 
your  dower  is  worth  some  thing  and  you  may  safely  make  the 
exi)eriment,  hecauso  you  will  receive  more  than  the  trifling 
costs  you  will  be  put  to.  The  State  of  New  York  I  un  rstand 
have  appointed  Commissioners  to  en(iuire  into  claims  of  dower 
and  to  report  what  they  consider  as  an  equitahle  eipiivalent. 
This  in  your  Situation  will  be  better  than  being  put  into  the 
[)ossession  of  wild  or  remote  lauds  for  life,  because  whatever 
they  report  is  given  you  as  a  satisfaction  for  your  dower. 


con- 
rrati- 


1  The  population  of  Now-York  in  when  a  boy.   Ho  was  for  many  years 

178:J  was  estimated   at  24,000;    in  Attornoy-({eneral   of  the  Province. 

17i)l)  it  was  npward  of  60,000.  Having  boon  attainted  hy  the  Act  of 

'-'John  Tabor  Kempe  was  a  native  1779,  he  removed  to  England,  where 

of  England,  but  came  to  New-York  he  died. 


* 


104 


C'OimRSPONDKNrK  OP  TIIOMAH   HAri<'[iAY 


'   • 


' 


Tho  Seiison  will  ha  too  far  advaiiood  lu'f'oro  this  will  p;ot  to 
IuiihI  for  you  to  transmit  me  any  orij^inal  papers,  so  that  you 
had  b(!tt(T  postpone  sondinj^  thcni  until  March  next,  eitluT  in 
Ji  packet  or  Man  of  War,  the  latter  is  tlu!  most  safe.  In  tho 
mean  time  forward  by  tho  first  conveyanco  your  letter  of  At- 
torney with  a  memorandum  or  description  of  tho  lands  M' 
Kempi^  poss(^ss<'d  and  in  which  you  (daim  a  dowi^r  —  Sitmition, 
boundaries,  and  number  of  Acres,  toj^ether  with  tho  title  un- 
der wliich  he  held  tlicm ;  and  if  there  is  anv  indorscnuMit  on 
the  (Jrants  or  Deeds  of  their  inrolment  or  record  in  {^,  annex  an 
exact  copy  of  it  that  wo  may  refer  to  the  Koj^istry. 

It  will  afford  mo  real  pleasure  in  this  and  every  other  in- 
stance to  nmdcr  you  or  any  of  the  famuy  every  service  in  ray 
pow((r.  M"  lianday  unites  with  me  in  sincere  rejijards  to 
your  daufjfhters  and  yourself. 


TO   MR.   GREENWOOD. 


Sir; 


New  York,  2*  Oct'  1799. 


Inclosed  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  I  received  from  His  R. 
H.,  the  Duke  of  Kent,  by  the  packcst  from  Nova  Scotia,^  in 
which  he  advises  me  to  apply  to  you  on  the  Subject  of  procur- 
ing a  Lieutenancy  for  my  son  Do  Lancey  Barclay  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible  in  order  that  he  may  the  sooner  have  permis- 
sion to  purchase  a  Company.  To  effect  this  as  there  is  not 
a  Lieut^  in  the  Royal  Fusiliers  vacant  at  present,  it  is  neces- 
sary my  Son  commences  with  the  first  step,  that  of  an  Ensign, 
and  his  R.  11.  points  to  one  you  have  tho  disposal  of  at  tho 
regulation  —  he  thou  proceeds  to  observe  that  Lieutenancys 
are  daily  to  bo  had  on  sinular  terms,  and  rocommeiids  me  to 
apply  to  you  in  his  name  for  your  interest  and  good  offices  in 

1  The  Duke  of  Kent  had  resided  at  Duke  liad  at  this  time  just  returnod 

Halifax  as  Comniauder  of  tho  Forces  to  Halifax  after  a  short  visit  to  Eng- 

from  1794  to  1798,  during  all  of  which  land.      He  was   the  father  of  tho 

time  ('oloncl  Barclay  was  Speaker  present  Queen  of  England, 
of  tho   Provincial  Assembly.     Tho 


■) 


'4 


CONSUL-OENERAL,   1799-18(»2 


10.') 


fiivor  of  my  son.  Tlin  directions  of  his  U.  II.  to  mo  will, 
I  trust,  bo  a  siifllcicMit  apolo^jy  for  my  ('(inuneiiciti};  thus  ab- 
ruptly u  (MM'rcspoudcuoc,  and  recjucstiuiij  your  assistance  in 
offeotinf»  my  wislies. 

Af  tlio  (•(•niincnccniont  of  tlio  present  war,  and  undtn*  tlie 
erron(M)us  o])inion  that  its  (uuitinuanee  vvouhl  be  l)ut  of  shoi't 
duration,  I  was  iufbiced  to  put  iy  Son  l)e  LaiHH'y  Hai<day  at 
tho  solioitntion  of  ('ol.  Sir  Join)  W(Mitworth  into  the  lioyal 
Nova  Scotia  Ke^nineut,  wherein  he  luis  served  five  years  in  tho 
respective  ranks  of  lOnsij^ii,  Lieut.,  and  Captain,  ConiniaiMlint; 
tli(f  (Jrenadier  ('(un])any  upwards  of  a  year  on  a  detaclied  Coni- 
inand  at  ('a[>e  Breton.  When  lu^  first  entered  the;  service  it 
was  not  my  intention  ho  shouhl  continue  it  as  a  profession ;  he, 
however,  appears  fond  of  it,  and  in  coinplian(!e  with  his  rc- 
<iuest  I  now  wish  him  in  a  rcf^nlar  old  Kcf,''.  He  has  entei-ed 
his  2()th  year,  is  well  ^jfrown,  has  had  a  lilx^ral  education,  is  a 
very  handsome  younj^  man,  and  free  from  every  vice  or  fash- 
ionable dissipation. 


FROM   COX   &   GREENWOOD. 


cys 
to 
in 


L,ng- 
tho 


Sir: 


London,  (itli.  Foby,  IHOO. 


We  have  tho  pleasure  to  acknowledfco  the  receipt  of  viuir 
favor  of  the  2nd.  Oct.  to  Mr.  (Jreenwood  respectinj;  the  Pur- 
chase of  u  Commission  in  the  Armv  for  vour  Son  whom  von 
are  desirous  of  attaining  the  liank  of  Captain  for  as  soon  as 
possible. 

In  this  we  shall  be  particndarly  happy  to  f<n'ward  your 
wishes  when  it  (!an  be  doiui ;  but  you  must  l)e  ap'  :ed  that 
from  th(!  late  Regulations  of  tlu^  ('ommander  in  »'hief  an 
Officer  cannot  be  permitted  to  Purchase  a  Comi)any  untd  he 
shall  have  served  two  ycjirs  as  a  Subaltern. 

There  being  an  opportunity  of  jjurchasing  an  Ensigncy  in 
the  41st.  Regt.  lately  gone  to  Quebec  we  conceived  it  would 
be  more  agreeable  to  you  to  have  your  Son  in  one  in  America 
than  any  where  else,  especially  as  he  goes  into  that  Reginumt 


lOG 


OOUIJESrONDENCK  OF   THOMAS   RAUOIjAV 


If 


!     1 


:i 


5     t 


i\'    I 


very  advjintajToously  there  being  other  vacaueies  and  wo  be- 
li(>ve  he  will  be  first  or  seeond  for  the  rurehase  of  n  liieuty. 
when  one  falls  vacant  in  the  Hej::inient;  which  is  the  oidy 
eliance  of  his  obtaininj;  a  Lienty.  as  they  are  become  now 
very  scarc(>  and  dilhcnlt  to  be  had. 

AVe  have  also  tlie  pleasnre  to  aciinaint  yon  that  the  En- 
sifi'iicy  was  pni'chjtsed  nnder  tlu^  W(>{;nla(ion,  havinj;  been  «,'ot 
foj* ;{,")()  (Jnis.  Ensign  Barclay's  Coniniission  is  Dated  the  11"' 
-Jannary. 

It  will  be  necessary  for  yon  to  write  to  the  Coinmandiiig 
Oflicer  of  the  Hegt.  Lieut.  Colonel  Thomas,  stating  wlien 
Ensign   Harehiy  will  join. 

We  have  etc. 

Cox  &  Gkkrnwooi). 


TO   HIS   majesty's   rOSTMASTERS-GENERAT.. 

Now  Yoi-k  Coiisu.  (Umerals  Orticc^  15  March  1800. 
Mv  Lords: 

'lis  Majestys  Packet  Boats  and  Mevehant  Vessels  having 
ever  since  my  arrival  at  this  place  snffered  great  inconveni- 
ence and  occasional  delay  in  conseqnence  of  the  desertion  of 
their  Men,  and  the  impracticability  of  regaining  them  nnless 
by  the  tedions  and  ordinary  process  at  Common  Law;  in- 
duced mo  to  represent  the  gri(>vanee  to  some  of  the  leading 
mend)ers  in  the  House  of  K'epresentaiives  of  this  State,  and 
to  rcqnest  them  to  procure  a  Ijaw  for  th(>  summary  trial  of 
deserting,  or  absjinting  SeanuMi ;  A  ineasure  founded  in 
Justic(^  and  due  to  all  Nations  in  alliance  with  the  United 
Stat(!S  of  America. 

I  am  happy  to  accpuiint  your  Lordshii)sthat  my  application 
lias  succeeded  and  have  the  honor  to  inclose  yonr  Lordships  a 
Gazette  contiiining  the  Act  i)assed  for  that  purpose. 

Your  Lordships  will  observe  from  the  words  of  the  Act 
that  the  Agreement  by  the  Seamen  to  perform  a  Voyage  nuist 
be  made  in  writing,  1  take  the  Liberty  to  suggest  this,  from 


CONSUL-dKNEKAIj,    17!)y-lH(VJ 


107 


the  Captains  of  I'aciiuots  haviiii;  rejjcatt'dly  iiifoniicd  nio  tluit 
it  was  not  custoninrv  for  scamoii  onii)lovt'(l  in  lliat  Service  to 
si<j:n  Ai'tielos.  IVrinit  nie  to  add  it  will  advance  his  Majestys 
Service  in  these  paiMs,  to  direct  that  the  Seamen  in  fntnrc 
employed  in  the  ['accpiets  shall  on  entcrint!,-  sitrn  articles,  and 
that  the  Articles  of  A«;reennMit  in  future  to  Ite  used  be  ccf- 
reetly  and  explicitly  drawn  by  a  professional  (leutlenian. 


TO   LOHl)   (JKENVII.LE. 

New  York  15  Mairh  ISOO. 
Mv    liOKl): 

I  hav(^  the  satisfaction  to  ac(piaintyt)ur  Loi-dship  that  I  have 
throu<i;h  the  intervention  of  some  of  the  leadini;  Characters  in 
the  house  of  lli'pri'sentatives  of  this  State  {)roeured  an  act  for 
tlie  summary  trial  of  Seamen  desertinj; or  absentinii'themsidves 
from  the  Ships  to  whom  they  are  articled  to  perform  a  voyage ; 
a  copy  of  which  a,ct  is  inclosed. 

The  i;ri((vaiice  had  becomes  almost  intolei'able  to  His  Majes- 
ty's Subjects  and  the  l'a('((Ui*t  service  in  many  instances  de- 
layed. Tliese  Evils  I  had  statinl  to  M'  Ijiston  as  well  as  your 
Lordsliip,  and  (indinj;  from  him  that  it  was  improbable  any 
immediate  j;eneral  remedy  would  Ix^  administered,  I  considei'ed 
it  advisable^  to  etTect,  if  in  my  [)ower,  a  i)a-rtial  oneconlined  to 
this  State,  I  ho})e  the  measure  will  meet  your  Iiordshi[is 
approV  tion. 

By  this  conveyance  I  write  His  Majesty's  Postnuisters  (feii- 
eral  onthi^  SubjcH't,  inclosinij^  thiMii  the  Act,  and  recommendinijf 
the  Seamen  in  that  St>rvice,  beinjj^  in  future  under  Articles,  to 
enable  me  to  recover  them  in  cases  of  desertion. 


Act 
Invust 
I  from 


TO   MR.   13ROUGHTON. 

New  York  ()'"  May  ISOO. 
DkaR  SiK: 

Your  favors  of  the  24  tfc  ;{1  of  January  I  received  by  the 
Earl  iJower  Tacket,   The  letters  aceom])anyini^  them  a,ddressed 


u\f 


IV 


108 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


-.:  t 


':'  I 


I 


I   II 


fM 


to  persons  iu  this  City  were  immediately  delivered,  and  those 
for  Canada  forwarded  the  first  Conveyanee.  I  am  much 
oblin'tHl  to  you  for  the  purehase  of  my  two  half  Lottery  tickets 
and  your  attention  in  forwarding  the  numbers;  pray  favor  me 
witli  tlicir  fate.i  Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  send  me  a  hand 
Bill  of  the  Rates  for  Life  Insurance  and  Endowment  of  Chil- 
dren at  21  years  old.  I  will  thank  you  to  discontinue  my  Lon- 
don paper,  as  we  generally  have  later  European  news  by  pri- 
vate Conveyances  than  by  the  Packets.  Instead  of  these  send 
me  the  Antijacobin  Reviews  and  any  political  Pamphlets  of 
merit  from  time  to  time  published. 


TO  LORD   GRENVILLE. 

New  York  7"-  May  1800. 
My  Lord: 

I  did  myself  the  Honor  of  writing  your  Lordship  by  the  last 
Packet  on  the  Subject  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  this 
State ;  a  printed  copy  of  which  I  took  the  Liberty  to  inclose  to 
your  Lordship. 

It  is  with  no  small  degree  of  disappointment  that  I  am  ;in- 
der  the  necessity  of  acqmiinting  your  Lordship  that  I  was  pre- 
mature in  the  Communication,  and  that  the  Bill  after  having 
passed  the  house  of  Representatives  and  Senate  of  this  State, 
was  rejected  by  the  Council  of  Revision.  Permit  me,  however, 
in  my  own  Justification,  to  remark  that  previous  to  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Legislature  I  had  recouimended  the  Bill  to  two  or 
three  of  the  leading  members  who  promised  to  bring  it  for- 
ward, and  that  I  not  only  had  the  public  prints  of  this  City  as 
the  Channel  of  information  that  the  Bill  had  passed,  but  also 
the  Mayor  of  the  City  who  read  me  an  extract  from  M""  Rigg's 
letter  (a  member  of  the  Legislature)  wherein  he  desired  the 
Mayor  to  congratulate  me  on  the  subject.    With  such  testi- 

1  Barclay  was  constantly  buying  clay,  of  Bury  Hill,  These  ventures 
State  lottery  tickets  in  London  cither  seem  to  have  been  uniformly  unsuc- 
through  Mr.  Broughton  or  David  Bar-    cessf  ul. 


.  ii 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


109 


mony,  I  considered  it  a  matter  beyond  all  donl)t,  and  accoi  d- 
ingly  gave  it  to  your  Lordship,  as  I  was  convinced  it  would 
afford  you  Satisfa(!tion. 

The  Bill  was  rejected  l)y  tlie  ('ouncil  of  Revision  upon  a  prin- 
ciple tliat  it  was  a  commercial  re<j^ulation  whicili  appertained 
to  the  Couf^ress  of  the  Unitcnl  States.  At  the  next  meeting  of 
(Jongi'css  I  shall  endeavor  to  get  an  Act  of  this  kind  passed. 


Ligg's 
Id  the 
testi- 

hitures 
unsuc- 


TO   MRS.  MARGARET  DE   LANCEY,     BATH,   ENGLAND. 

Now  York  8"-  Nov'   1800. 
My  DEAR  Madam: 

I  wrote  you  a  hasty  line  by  the  Lady  Arabella  Paciket,  be- 
ing at  tliat  time  very  unwell  with  an  intermitting  fever,  from 
which  I  am  now  ]iaj)i)ily  recovered,  though  much  reduced. 
In  that  letter  I  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  your  favor  cover- 
ing tlie  letter  of  Attoriun',  and  my  readiness  to  render  you 
any  Siu'vicie  in  my  power.  I  at  the  same  time  Stated  to  you 
my  having  retained  M'  Harison-  as  your  Council,  and  ac- 
quainted you  tliat  M""  Hoffman  being  the  Attorney  General  of 
this  State  rendered  it  improper  for  him  to  act  for  you.  I 
took  the  liberty  at  the  same  time  to  give  you  my  opinion  re- 

lMi^r^'iU•otT)('LiUH'oy  Wiis  tlu'wid-  of  course,  boeainc  ontitled  to  dower 

o\v  of  the  Jiuiu's  ])(?  Laiicey  wlio  was  in  all  tho  laiuls  solil. 

Agont  of  the  American  Loyalists  ill  '-^Richard  Harison    was    born    in 

Enjiland.     Hhe  was  the  daughter  of  New- York,   Jamiiiry   2'A,    1748,   aiid 

Chief    Justice    William    Allen     of  died  in  the  same  city,  December  7, 

Pennsylvania,   the   friend  of    Ben-  182!).      He     was    graduated     from 

jamin   West  and  Benjamin   Frank-  Kinj^s  CoUej^e  in  17()4.     He  married 

lin.    James  De  Lancey  died  at  Bath,  Jirst,  Catharine,   daughter    of    Dr. 

1799.     He  had  been   attainted  by  Jones  of  Ijong  Island  ;  .srro;*^/.  Fran- 

tlie  Act  of  1779,  ajid  his  property  in  ces,    daughter    of    George   Duncan 

tlie  city  of  New- York  had  been  sold  Ludlow,  one  of  tho  .Iiidges   of  tlie 

at  various  times  prior  to  February,  Supreme  Court  of  the   Province  of 

1787.     A  full  account  of  these  sales  New- York,  and  afterward  tho  first 

will  be  found  in  Mr.  E.  F.  De  Lan-  Chief  Justice  of    New  Brunswick, 

eey's  notes  to  Jones's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  Harison  was  inclined   to  the   Tory 

Vol.  II,  pp.  540-559.      His  widow,  side,  but  in  1789  he  was  chosen  one 


ii 


I 


i  I 


III 


110 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


spoctinjiif  tlio  mode  of  obtaining?  your  dower  or  ooinpensation 
in  lion  of  it;  find  M""  Ilarisons  opinion  on  the  same  subject. 
I  shall  repeat  these,  least  by  an  accident  to  the  Lady  Arabella 
yon  may  be  deprived  of  my  former  letter. 

Having  fnily  considered  your  claim  of  dower, — the  very 
great  number  of  Tenants  of  the  freelujld  who  must  ho.  sued — 
the  i)robal)le  delay  before  you  will  be  put  in  possession.  The 
forcible;  reasons  why  the  Major  part  of  tlie  Proprietors  will 
prefer  your  havinjif  the  actual  possession  of  one  third  of  the 
Lots  and  houses.  The  c^iormous  expense  attending  a  litiga- 
tion, where  there  will  probably  be  not  loss  than  three  or  four 
hundred  Suits,  your  own  costs  of  which,  you  must  defray. 
The  innuense  number  of  vacant  lots,  which  altho'  they  are 
valued  at  about  £100  this  Currency  each,  do  not,  nor  would 
they  at  any  future  period  in  your  hands,  produce  any  annual 
rent.  The  precarious  tenor  of  life  —  The  loss  y(mr  Children 
would  sustain  by  your  dying  at  the  eai'liest  within  fifteen 
years.  The  huigth  of  time  it  would  require  to  make  the  rents 
issues  and  profits  of  your  third  part  of  this  Estate,  after  de- 
ducting six  hundred  per  annum  as  Inttn'cst  for  the  Capital, 
net  you  a  clear  principal  of  £10,000  this  Currency.  The  \m- 
possil)ility  of  your  renting  unimproved  lots  and  parts  of  Lots, 
from  the  uncertainty  of  your  Life  —  The  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing tenants,  to  oc(;upy  a  third  part  of  a  house,  containing  not 
more  than  two  small  rooms  on  each  floor  and  thos(5  houses 
generally  not  more  than  two  Stories.  The  defalcations  in 
rents,  where  Tenants  are  poor  and  the  expense  of  employing 


of  the  (loleg.atcs  from  tho  city  of 
New-York  to  the  Poughkcepsio 
Convention  tlmt  ratified  the  Fed- 
eral Oonstitntion,  his  eoUoagnos 
being  Jolm  Jay,  Richard  Morris, 
Jolni  HlossHobart,  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton, Robert  R.  Livingston,  Isaac 
Roosevelt,  .Tames  Duane,  and  Nicho- 
las Lovsr.  He  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  New-York 
bar,  and  counsel  in  a  large  proiior- 
tion  of  the  more  important  cases 


reported  in  the  early  New-York  re- 
ports. Upon  the  organization  of 
the  Federal  Government  he  was 
appointed  by  General  Washington 
U.  S.  District  Attorney.  From 
1798  to  1799  he  was  Recorder  of  tho 
city.  For  forty-one  years  — 1788  to 
1829  —  he  was  one  of  the  Trustees 
of  Columbia  College,  and  in  1823 
was  (/hainnan  of  tlie  Board.  Ho 
also  held  the  office  of  Comptroller 
of  tho  Trinity  Chui-ch  Corporation. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1799-1802 


111 


l)i'k  re- 
lion  of 
was 
liiij^ton 

From 
lot'  the 
1788  to 

istees 
|i  1823 
He 

t  roller 

Itiou. 


1 


J 
<« 


.'111  Ajifoiit  to  take  care  of  the  Property  and  receive  the  rents — 
Witli  mmiberh'ss  other  serious  objections;  I  say  after  liaving; 
maturely  weijj:lie(I  all  these,  it  was  my  decided  opinion  that 
you  had  better  take  up  with  a  compensation  from  the  IState 
of  New  York,  attended  with  but  little  expense  and  which  yoti 
would  almost  immediately  receive,  than  to  involve  yourself  in 
Litigation,  and  jdace  a  very  handsome  Sum  on  the  casual 
Event  of  your  Life  admitting,  as  I  consider  it,  to  be,  ecptal  to 
that  of  any  other  person  for  fifteen  years  to  come.  It  would 
take  up  too  much  time,  and  tire  your  patience  was  I  to  give 
you  at  length  my  reasons,  on  each  of  the  o])jections  men- 
tioned. I  shall  therefore  only  say  they  are  admitted  as 
natiu'al  by  M""  Harison. 

A  combination  or  conspiracy  very  probably  may  also  be 
entered  into  by  the  Proprietors  to  dissuade  persons  from  be- 
coming your  Tenants,  and  to  threaten  them  with  innunu^-able 
unpleasant  incidents  in  case  they  do  it.  Their  side  of  the 
Question,  however  equitable  yours  may  be,  will  be  the  popu- 
lar one ;  in  a  Country  where  the  Claims  of  Loyalty  are  con- 
sidered by  the  vulgar  as  usurpation. 

You  may  perhaps  think  I  write  in  strong  terms,  and  that 
my  apprehensions  are  utireasonable.  Tlie  greater  part  of 
wliat  I  have  stated  will  inevitably  come  to  pass,  and  the 
remainder  is  founded  on  probabilities  approaching  to  cer- 
tainties. I  have  measured  all  these  on  the  Scale  of  your 
Interest,  and  by  opposing  the  one  to  the  other,  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  saying,  that  a  Sum  far  short  of  what  might  fairly 
be  calculated  from  the  rents  of  the  Estate,  admitting  solvent 
tenants  could  be  jn'ocured,  will  be  preferable  to  the  uncei-tain 
amount  you  will  receive  in  consequence  of  being  unable  to 
obtain  teiutnts,  and  the  losses  incurred  by  many  of  them  being 
unable  to  pay  their  rents — With  regard  to  lots  on  which  there 
are  no  buildings  it  will  be  diflficult  to  find  Pei'sons  who  would 
even  be  at  the  expense  of  inclosing  them,  when  they  know 
their  possession  depends  on  your  life.  Was  the  property 
situate  in  a  valuable  })art  of  the  City  aiul  vested  in  decent 
houses,  the  annual  rents  might  be  calculated  to  almost  a  frac- 
tion—But your  lots  are  in  the  Subiu-bs,  which  may  be  said 


n== 


112 


CORRESPONDKNCE   OP  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


bJ 


...i 


!  ; 


I     . 


I      t 


i       !: 


to  1)0  half  town  half  CJountry.'  It  is  impossihlo  to  say  what 
the  State  inay  allow  you :  but  at  the  lowest  valuation  I  should 
suppose  not  less  than  25,000  Dollars,  and  possibly  more  than 
doul)lo  that  Sum.  On  this  occasion  I  should  strive  to  ^at  the 
most  for  you.  But  every  thinji;  considered  I  really  think 
even  25,000  dollars  in  hand,  better  than  a  general  litijijation. 

M'  Harison  differs  in  Sentiment  with  me;  and  thinks  you 
will  advance  your  interest  by  api)lyinjij  to  or  prosecuting  the 
Individual  Proprietors.  Having  his  opinion  and  mine,  it  re- 
mains for  you  to  decide  and  to  send  mo  your  orders  without 
loss  of  time,  providing  dui)licates  and  triplicates  of  letters. 

If  wo  are  to  prosecute  it  will  be  indispcnsibly  necessary  for 
you  to  send  me  out  all  the  Title  deeds  for  any  part  of  the  Es- 
tate, not  only  in  the  Bowery,  but  in  broadway  opposite  the 
Estate  M""  DeLancey  gave  to  his  brother  John.'-^  I  think  there 
was  also  property  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  Let  regular 
and  connect  copies  of  them  be  made  and  taken  to  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  to  examine  and  certify,  and  leave  them  with 
him  until  the  Event  is  known,  whether  the  originals  have 
come  safe  to  my  hands  or  not.  Should  a  treaty  of  Peace  be 
entered  into  between  the  States  and  France,  it  will  be  most 
safe  to  send  the  papers  out  in  some  good  safe  American  Ship, 
delivered  to  a  Gentleman  Passenger,  or  to  the  Master,  if  a  de- 
cent Man.  It  may  be  necessary  also  to  prove  M'  DeLaneey's 
death.  Furnish  me,  therefore,  with  the  name  of  the  Parson  who 
can  attest  to  his  person  and  demise.  It  will  be  best  to  have 
this  testimony  also  taken  by  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London.  In- 
form me  if  the  Witness  can  attend  before  him.  Proof  of  your 
Marriage  will  be  required  and  of  yonr  l)eing  alive  at  the  time 
that  proof  was  taken.  Was  your  Brother,  M""  Andrew  Allen, 
present  at  your  marriage,  or  who  was. 

I  have  employed  Beverly  Robinson,  Grandson  of  the  late 
Col.  Robinson,  a  young  Gentleman  of  merit  and  abilities,  rec- 


•3 


4 


1  They  lay  east  of  the  Bowery, 
between  Division  and  Stanton 
streets,  in  what  is  now  perhaps 
the  most  densely  populated  spot 
in  the  world. 


2  These  lots  were  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Little  Queen  (Cedar) 
street.  Brother  John  was  John 
Peter  Do  Lancey,  of  Mamaroneck, 
father  of  the  Bishop. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


113 


1 


ominoiuled  to  me  by  M'  Harison  as  your  Attorney.  And  1 
think  it  will  bo  most  for  your  Interest  to  engajje  M'  Cadwal- 
lader  Coldoii,  the  Assistant  Attorney  General  of  the  district,' 
as  Council  with  M'  Ilarison,  he  having  prosecuted  several 
claims  for  dower  and  compounded  to  great  advantage  with  the 
State.  He  informs  mo  of  what  M'  Harison  was  ignorant,  that 
the  State  will  agree  in  settling  of  the  Sum  to  bo  paid  you,  to 
my  nominating  two;  and  the  Commissioners,  one  Appraiser, 
wlio  will  value  the  property  at  what  it  is  at  present  worth ; 
from  whence,  after  making  a  small  deduction  of  ten  or  at  the 
utmost  fifteen  per  Cent.,  they  will  calculate  the  Sum  total  by 
the  London  tables  on  Lives  and  allow  you  whatever  sum  these 
tables  direct.  M'  Harison  told  me  the  Commissioners  would 
only  take  the  Sum  for  which  the  Estate  sold,  which  was  about 
£100,000  this  Currency.  Now  I  suppose  the  Estate  faii'ly 
valued  could  not  come  short  of  £500,000;  of  course  your  com- 
pensation, allowing  the  Commissioners  deducted  even  a  fifth, 
would  be  far  above  what  I  have  stated  it. 


TO   Mil.   HARTSHORNE,   HALIFAX. 


New  York  5"-  Dec'  1800. 


late 


fcs,  rec- 


[)rner  of 
■(Cedar) 
Is  John 
Ironeck, 


My  DEAR  Hartshokne: 

I  am  at  this  moment  favored  with  your  most  kind  letter  of 
the  11"'  of  November  and  shall  reply  to  the  latter  part  without 
dehiy  in  the  hope  of  getting  it  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  St. 
John,  New  Brunswick,  being  more  than  anxious  to  remove 
from  Sir  John  Wentworth's  mind  any  unfavorable  suggestions 
which  must  tend  to  lessen  me  in  his  good  opinion. 

You  are  no  stranger  to  my  Sentiments  with  regard  to  Sir 
John,  or  of  the  grateful  Sense  I  entertain  of  his  uniform 
friendly  behavior  towards  me  and  of  the  many  essential  favors 

1  Cadwalladoj  '').  Golden,  a  grand-  Barclay's.  He  was  at  this  time  As- 
son  of  the  old  Lieutenant-Governor,  sistant  District  Attorney  of  thoU.  S., 
and  therefore  a  first  cousin  of  Mrs.    andwasafterwardMayor  of  thecity. 


M 


1 


!  I 


i 


114 


CORUESPONDKNCK   OV  THOJIAS   BARCfjAY 


received  at  his  liands.  I  will  tlierefon;  lliank  you  ('andidly  to 
declare  what  I  have  repeatedly  remarked  in  conlideiiee  to  you 
respectiujjf  him  and  the  oblij^'ation  I  felt  myself  under  for  his 
nuirked  predilection  towards  me.  I  am  satisfied  I  have  always 
been  regarded  by  him  as  a  confidential  friend,  and  I  have  tlic 
satisfaction  to  fe(!l  that  my  conduct  has  pjcnerally  met  his  ap- 
probation, and  that  in  no  one  instam^e  have  I  ever  behaved  to 
him  or  any  other  Man  living  with  duplicity.  He  possesses  my 
utmost  regards,  and  there  is  no  person  to  whom  I  should  more; 
readily  apply  for  advice  had  I  an  object  in  contemplation  ;  in- 
deed, I  consider  myself  in  some  measure  bound  to  do  so,  hav- 
ing on  former  occasions  consulted  him,  and  always  obtained 
his  ready  aid  and  interest.  From  these  remarks  it  is  scarce 
necessary  for  mo  to  conti'adiet  the  report  mentioned  at  the  foot 
of  your  letter,  to  wit,  "  that  I  was  trying  to  otjtaiu  the  Govern- 
ment of  Nova  Scotia."  Accept  my  thanks  for  the  reply  you 
made  the  Governor  when  ho  mentioned  the  report.  You  Avill,  I 
hope,  continue  your  friendship  in  contradicting  on  any  f  ut'.ire 
occasion  suggestions  tending  to  my  injury  until  you  have 
reason  to  alter  yoiir  opinion  of  me. 

I  have  never  made  any  application  directly  or  indirectly  for 
the  Government  or  the  reversion  of  it  in  case  of  Sir  Johns  re- 
moval or  demise.  Neither  have  I  in  writing  or  verbally  ex- 
pressed a  wish  or  sentiment  on  the  Subject  to  any  person.  Had 
such  a  measure  been  contemplated  you  would  have  been  the 
most  probable  person  to  whom  I  should  have  communicated 
my  Sentiments.  This  report  is  similar  to  that  you  mentioned 
to  me  last  Winter  respecting  the  Government  of  New  Bruns- 
wick. I  received  on  that  subject  not  less  than  twenty  letters, 
several  of  which  were  congratulatory  of  the  appointment  hav- 
ing taken  place,  and  I  have  little  doubt  but  Governor  Carleton 
imagines  that  I  really  did  apply.  Many  of  my  friends,  and  some 
of  the  first  consideration  in  Nova  Scotia  and  in  England  have 
in  their  letters  lamented  my  leaving  Nova  Scotia,  and  hinted 
that  they  hoped  yet  to  see  me  filling  an  oifice  of  responsibility  in 
that  Province.  I  had  no  doubt  they  meant  the  Government ; 
still,  so  little  did  I  think  of  it,  that  I  have  in  no  one  instance 
ever  noticed  the  latter  part  of  their  remarks.    It  is  not  impos- 


•^ 


i'  i  r  5 


i 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1799-1802 


llf) 


(Uy  to 
to  you 
[or  his 
ilways 
,vc  the 
his  ap- 
Lved  to 
ses  my 
(1  more 
m  ;  iii- 
o,  hav- 
itained 
scarce 
he  foot 
Govcrn- 
)ly  you 
II  Avill,  I 
r  future 
)u  have 

i(.'tly  for 
)hns  re- 
ally ex- 
Had 
ecu  the 
nioated 
iitioned 
Bruns- 
letters, 
iithav- 
arleton 
id  some 
id  liave 
[  hinted 
nlity  in 
jnnient ; 
stance 
impos- 


sible but  they  or  some  other  persons  nuiy  liave  written  that  on 
tlio  demise  of  Sir  .lohn  it  was  probable  I  would  succeed  to 
the  Uovernment,  and  from  such  an  hint,  it  may  have  grown 
into  a  confirmed  rei)ort  of  my  soliciiting  for  it.  Assure  8ir 
John  he  will  ever  find  me  to  be  his  zealous  friend,  incapable  of 
doinj;  an  act  incompatible  with  honor  or  candor.  That  it 
would  be  doinj,'  violence  to  my  feelinj^s  to  accept  of  any  ap- 
pointment at  tho  expense  even  of  a  stranger;  and  of  course 
that  I  am  incapable  of  soliciting  the  removal  of  any  jierson 
from  ofticc  to  make  way  for  myself.  If  th<  :^e  are  my  prin- 
ciples, judging  of  my  affection  by  that  he  bt-urs  to  me,  he  will 
be  readily  satisfied  that  the  rejjort  was  witliout  foundation. 


TO   LORD   GKENVILLE. 

New  York  5  Dec'.  1800. 
My  Lord: 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  your  Lordship  Quarterly  returns 
of  the  Imports  and  Exports  to  and  from  this  Port  from  the 
first  of  Septend)er  to  the  ,30"'  of  November  last  past. 

It  may  perhaps  not  be  disagre(ud)le  to  your  Lordship  to  be 
informed  that  it  is  more  than  probable  M""  Adams  and  M'  Pinck- 
ney  will  be  elected  I'resident  and  Vice  President  of  the  United 
tStates.  Which  of  the  two  will,  by  having  tlie  JMajority  of 
Votes  be  President  is  uncertain,  I  however  suspect  M'  Adams 
will  be  reelected. 


TO  Mil.  BOND. 

New  York  20'"  Doc'  1800. 
Dear  Sir  : 

Vice  Admiral  Sir  W"  Pai'ker  commanding  his  Majestys 
Ships  in  America  has  written  to  me  that  an  armed  Ship  named 
the  Faustina  which  sailed  from  New  York  some  time  in  April 
last,  had  on  a  former  Voyage  captured  and  destroyed  certain 
Merchant  Vessels  belonging  to  Ilis  Majesty  Subjects,  that  he 


w^ 


1  ■  ■;  ip  ■■■ 


116 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


was  apprehcnsivo  she  would  commit  similar  dopredations  dur- 
ing her  present  Voyaije  —  That  she  has  lonj?  been  engaged  in 
a  contraband  trade  with  Ilis  Majestys  Enemies;  and  that  tho' 
she  is  well  adapted  to  all  the  purposes  of  Commerce,  she  is  in 
every  respect  equipped  for  War;  and  on  meeting  with  British 
Vessels  regulates  her  Conduct  by  tho  Force  they  display,  by 
hoisting  the  Colours  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  the 
presence  of  our  Shij)S  of  War  or  armed  Vessels  of  superior  or 
equal  force  and  those  of  Spaiu  when  she  meets  Merchant  Ves- 
sels or  small  Privateers  and  acts  as  such  —  He  wishes  to  know 
the  real  Character  and  Pursuits  of  this  Ship,  particularly  the 
object  and  destination  of  her  present  Voyage. —  From  the  best 
information  that  I  can  obtain  in  this  place,  from  public  and  pri- 
vate Channels,  a  ship  of  the  name  of  Faustina  has  not  cleared 
out  from  this  Port  during  the  present  year;  nor  can  I  discover 
that  there  is  a  ship  of  that  name  owned  in  this  State.  A 
Spanish  armed  sliip  named  the  Astiganaga  or  Aristazaraga 
sailed  from  hence  in  April  last  (nominally)  to  Montevideo  in 
la  Plata,  but  as  was  generally  suspected  to  cruize  on  the  Coast 
of  Africa  for  some  time  for  British  Vessels. —  I  am  of  opinion 
this  is  the  same  Ship  the  Admiral  enquires  after,  and  it  is  pos- 
sible she  may  have  a  false  set  of  papers,  purporting  her  to  be 
an  American  Ship  named  the  Faustina. —  Should  this  bo  the 
case  I  can  give  the  Admiral  the  best  information  existing  here 
respecting  her,  and  he  will  be  ennabled  to  judge  whether  it  is 
the  same  vessel,  by  the  list  of  British  ships  she  captured  on 
her  leaving  this  and  previous  to  her  departure  from  the  Coasts 
of  the  United  States  — 

Least  however  I  may  be  mistaken  in  my  conjectures,  permit 
me  to  request  yon  will  make  enquiry  at  Philadelphia,  if  there 
is  a  ship  of  that  name  belonging  to  that  Port,  or  if  any  ship 
of  that  najne  has  cleared  out  from  thence  answering  the  above 
description,  also  the  owners  name,  her  pursuits  and  present 
destination  —  where  she  is  now  supposed  to  be,  and  the  earliest 
probable  pei-iod  of  her  return. 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  add  that  the  utmost  caution  and 
secrecy  are  necessary  in  investigations  of  this  nature,  where 
the  fears  and  suspicions  not  only  of  the  owners,  but  the  un- 


ill 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   171)9-18012 


117 


lis  (lur- 
igcd  in 
I  at  tho' 
10  is  in 
British 

i»y,  i»y 

in  the 
jrior  or 
nt  Ves- 
0  know 
irly  tho 
;he  best 
md  pri- 
cleared 
lisoover 
ato.    A 
azaraga 
'ideo  in 
le  Coast 
opinion 
it  is  pos- 
er to  be 

bo  the 
ng  here 
ler  it  is 
Lired  on 

Coasts 

permit 
lif  there 

y  sliip 

above 

present 

earliest 

Ion  and 

where 

the  un- 


s 


dorwritors  are  all  alive  from  the  sailing  of  each  ship  nntil  her 
safe  return  into  port  —  Should  it  be  necessary  to  expend  a 
small  Sum  to  effect  tho  above  purposes  I  will  readily  pay  it, 
as  I  can  have  no  doubt  but  tho  Admiral  will  readily  repay  the 
same. 


FROM   DE   LANCEY   BARCLAY. 

Montreal  2Gth,  January,  ISOl. 
My  DEAit  Majdia  : 

I  cannot  let  another  opportunity  pass  without  writing  to  my 
best  of  Mothers.  A  description  of  my  very  disagreeable  and 
tedious  Journey  here  you  undoubtedly  have  seen  in  my  letters 
to  my  dear  Papa.  I  asure  you  the  cako  you  or  my  dear 
Maria  put  in  my  Portmanteau  was  very  acceptable  to  me  and 
my  fellow  travellers  the  night  I  spent  in  the  woods ;  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  express  my  feelings  while  I  was  eating  it ; 
gratitude,  with  my  dear  Parents  &e.  &c.  occupied  my  mind, 
and  thinking  how  unhai)py  you  would  have  been  had  you 
known  my  situation,  while  I  was  oidy  a  little  uncomfortable. 
I  am  living  at  Sir  Johns  which  Ladv  Johnson  has  insisted  on 
I  shall  make  my  home,  slie  has  frecpumtly  told  me  the  time  she 
s[)ent  at  West  Chester  with  you  was  the  happiest  part  of  her 
life,  she  made  me  a  present  of  three  black  martins  for  a  Cap 
which  I  suppose  would  have  cost  me  a  Guinea  a  piece ;  I  re- 
ceive the  greatest  attention  both  from  her  and  Sir  John.'  I 
am  sorry  to  say  Lady  Johnson  intends  going  home  in  the 
spring  I  am  sure  she  will  be  much  missed  in  this  place  You 
know  not  how  anxious  I  am  to  hear  from  you  as  I  have  had 
that  pleasure  but  once  since  I  left  New- York.     Remember  me 


1  Sir  John  Johnson  was  at  this  time 
Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs 
in  British  North  America.  Lady 
Johnson  was  formerly  Mary  Watts, 
sister  to  John  Watts  of  New-York. 
Lady  Johnson's  arrest  and  detention 
in  1776  by  the  American  authorities, 
as  a  hostage,  is  vigorously  related 

8A 


by  Judge  Jones  in  his  history  of 
New-York,  Vol.  I,  pp.  74-81;  and 
further  details  are  given  in  Mr.  De 
Lancey'b  notes.  When  released  slie 
selected  Barclay's  house  at  the  Wal- 
kill  as  her  residence.  See  Journals 
Prov.  Con.,  Vol.  I,  p.  761. 


w^ 


[' 


118 


(•((RiniSI'ONDnNCK    op   THOMAS    MAKCl.AY 


to  my  (leur  Mrothcrs  and  sisU'i's,  willi  my  iiiiiils  Cdx  ami 
Watts,  ami  all  otlici'  friciKls,  with  (Ji'iser  and  oilier  stTvauts, 
and  liclicvc  mo  my  dear  Mamma  yonr  vc^ry  sineoru  and  affec- 
tionate son 

D,  Bauclay. 

My  dkak  Pai'a: 

Altliou<j:li  I  have  littli;  oi-  notliin<^  to  say  having  wrote  you 
not  loiif,'  sineo  I  should  feel  unpleasant  did  I  It^t  a  (^onveyam-e 
slii>  without  a  lino  to  my  de;ir  Father  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  obtain  a  i'reneh  master,  thou<^fh  i'  the  mean  time  I 
think  I  am  losin  nothin  while  I  am  makiufjf  myself  master 
of  tho  (Jrammar,  and  writinj^  freneh,  and  fnMjuently  havinj^ 
an  opportunity  of  si)eakin;?  it.  It  is  now  after  two  o'ciloek 
thoretVu'e  I  sliall  bid  you  j^ofxl  mornin£^  and  retii'e  to  my  bed, 
as  I  rise  at  six.  I  shall  write  yon  iij^ain  by  the  iirst  ^ood  op- 
portunity. Believe  mu  ever  your  very  sineerc  and  aflfectionato 
Hon 

D    BARCfiAY. 

Should  the  jjfcntleman  who  takes  char<:;e  of  this  and  with 
whom  1  dined  a  few  days  since  whoso  luunc  is  Mr.  Leith  come 
to  New  York  (of  which  ho  is  not  certain)  and  call  on  you  I 
will  thank  you  to  pay  him  some  attention,  uot  to  put  yourself 
out  of  the  way,  should  you  have  a  party  while  he  is  there  in- 
vite him  — he  is  in  the  iir  trade. 


h 


ihi 


i  J 


TO   LORD   CtKENVILLE. 

New  York  ll!'"  Marcii  IhOl. 
My  Lord: 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  your  Lordship  that  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Philadelphia  a  few 
Weeks  since,  wrote  an  official  letter  to  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  wherein  after  remarking  the  immense  num- 
ber of  ame»'icau  Ships  captured  by  Ilis  Majesty s  Ships  of 


CONSUL-GENKRAIi,   ITDO-IHO'J 


119 


iX    Rtul 

[•vauts, 
I  iitTcc- 

•LAY. 


)to  you 
oyuiutc 
.>t  ))een 
tiino  I 
inastor 
liavitij; 
(M'Aoi'k 
my  Ited, 
;oo(l  op- 
[itiouatc 

rr.AY. 

nd  with 

th  come 

u  you  I 

ourself 

icre  in- 


1801. 

|e  Presi- 

a  few 

Cliam- 

36  num- 

Ihips  of 


War,  lie  aoqu.-Vmlcd  \ho  New  York  ('hamlier  of  (\niimer('o  of 
tlu!  <let(M'iniiiati(>ii  of  t\w  IMiiladclpliia  Merchants,  to  petition 
the  President  of  the  riiited  States  to  <,'nint  in  future  convoys 
under  certain  i"e<:fuhitions  to  inerclnints  ships  that  their  ]>ro- 
perty  niij^ht  ho  socurod  a^^ainst  Jritish  depre(hiti(»ns.'  The 
chanilxM'  of  (/Oiuniereo  of  this  pla^e  have  not  eo  operated  witli 
the  IMiilach'lphians  unih-r  a  conviction  that  their  proceedin«]fs 
were  too  hi<>h  toned  and  that-  it  was  prohable  tlie  l*resi(hMit  of 
th(i  United  States  mij^ht  nnnedy  the  evil  eoniphiined  of  by  a 
more  eonciiliatory  line  of  Conduct.  They  luive  therefore  re- 
ported to  the  President  tlie  Ca[)tures  of  Sliips  from  this  Port 
by  Uritisli  Sliips,  and  subjoined  the  facts  respecting  each  in- 
dividual Ship  leaving  the  Presichmt  to  adopt  such  measures  as 
he  conceived  wotdd  best  remedy  th(!  evil. —  M'  Hond  His  Ma- 
jestys  Consul  (ieneral  at  Philadeli>hia  will  prol)ably  furnish 
your  Lordship  with  the  particulars  of  tlie  proceedings  at  Phil- 
adelphia. I  have  not  vet  learned  whether  any  thing  has  been 
done  to  the  Eastwai'd:  but  consider  it  certain  that  application 
equally  viohuit  witli  tliat  from  Pennsylvania  will  be  made  by 
the  ^Merchants  of  Baltimore,  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  I 
am  happy  to  inform  your  Lordship  that  the  respectable  part 
of  the  Mercantile  Interest  in  this  City  are  federal  and  warndy 
attached  to  (1  Britain;  and  that  altho'  few  (^f  these  Charac- 
ters ordinarily  attend  the  meetings  of  the  Chamber  of  (bom- 
meree; I  had  intluence  sufficient  to  procure  their  att'.  iidance 
on  this  occasion,  and  to  them  and  a  few  others,  the  lenient 
measures  adopted  are  to  be  attributed.  I  intreat  your  Lord- 
ship will  pardon  me  for  obtruding  this  unsolicited,  but  zeal 
for  His  Majestys  Service  compels  me  in  this  instance  to  break 
through  all  rule ;  under  an  impression  that  it  is  probable  your 
Lordship  may  be  ignorant  of  what  the  Americans,  with  I  fear 
some  justice,  complain  of. —  There  are  few  if  any  instances  of 
(captures  in  Europe,  or  decrees  in  the  Courts  of  admiralty  in 
Great  Britain  that  ai'c  considered  otlierwisc  th;  n  equitable 

1  III  American  State  Papers,  For.  ber  of  Coramereo,  to  tlie  Secretary 

Kel.,  Vol.  11,  p.  347,  will  be  found  a  of  tbo  Navy,  dated  Feb.  17,  1801, 

letter  from   Tlioraas   Fitzsimmons,  which  is  evidently  the  "petition" 

Chairmanof  the  Philadelphia  Cham-  referred  to. 


120 


COKHKSPONnKNCK   OF   THOMAS    HAKChAY 


:  t 


hi 


;ui(l  i'iiir  by  the  Aincricaiis;  ni.  I  Imvo  scarco  cvt'v  lii^ard  onv 
Couvls  ill  l<]iiii:lniwl  spoken  of  by  tlu'in  cxs't^pl  in  Icnns  ol"  iho 
Iii<::li(>st  vt'spccl. —  Hill  the  cry  is  univorsal  from  one  »mu1  of 
llic  ConliiKMit  lo  Ihc  otl)(M*  \hi\i  llic  CniiztM's  in  AnuM-ifa  and 
Mil'  WosI  Iiidit's  send  rvcry  AnnM-ican  Vcssi'l  tlicy  intu'l,  into 
one  of  bis  Majc'itys  Colonial  I'orls  for  adjudication  and  that, 
tbc  flnd^i's  of  tlio  Provincial  (\)urls  of  \'icc  Admiralty  loo 
}j;(MU'rally  comlcnin,  and  in  cases  where  an  acipiital  would 
have  been  decrood  in  Kn^land.  To  app(>al  they  remark  is  so 
nearly  allied  in  its  consecinences  to  a  total  loss,  that  it  is  not, 
worth  the  pursuit.  First,  from  the  Icnijth  of  time  that  olapsos 
before  a  decision  takes  plac(>  —  and  secondly  the  immense  ex- 
pense'alteiidinu:  appeals. —  I  am  satistied  my  Lord  that  not  a 
little  of  biiiemies  property  is  covered  by  the  Americans  and 
that  articles  I'outraband  of  W'tir  are  frequently  expoi'ted  from 
the  States:  but  1  am  equally  certain  that  bona  tide  American 
property  is  too  often  iniprojierly  condemned  in  tlie  I'rovincial 
Coui'ts  of  Aibnirally.  From  hence  it  is  that  t.lie  Americans 
feel  injui'cd,  and  unless  a  remedy  is  applied.  I  fear  we  shall 
not  lonii:  continue  on  a  friendly  footing-  with  them. —  The 
Eastern  States  ai-c  at  the  present  moment  more  iiiMiily  at- 
tached to  (i  Britain  tluUi  at  any  period  siiire  the  year  17S.'{, 
and  would  bo  perfectly  satisfied  if  the  least  alteration  was 
made  by  (loverumeut  for  tlu'  protection  of  lawful  American 
Property  from  caj)ture  and  condemnation. —  What  I  have 
statod  to  your  rjordshij)  is  in  perfect  ccmfidcnce  and  f  hope 
will  not  bo  considered  by  your  liordship  out  of  place.  Permit 
nio  to  intreat  that  my  name  may  not  be  made  known  as  tho 
author  of  this  communication.' 


i 


% 


m 


1 


1  The  siibjci't  (roiUoil  ol' ill  this  U'l- 
tor  liiid  uli't'iiily  ciigiij^i'il  tlm  iitloii- 
ti*»n  of  tho  Ministry.  By  a  lottcr 
from  liord  (iioiivilic,  (hitinl  JniiUMry 
L"J.  ISOl,  the  Kii\p;diroctcatho  lior.ls 
Coimiiissioiicrs  of  the  Adiiiir;ilty  to 
revoke  nil  the  \)r\7.o  eoimuissioii.s 
which  hiid  theretofore  been  >:;rante(l 
to  the  iinniero\is  Vice  Admiralty 
Conrts  in  fhe  West   Indies  aiid  in 


other  British  Colonies.  The  irregu- 
larities which  had  |>revailed  in  Ihoso 
Courts  had  lonj;  jjivi-n  occasion  for 
complaint;  and  the  (lovernnient 
"thou^rht  ]>rop(>r.  by  lessening  their 
number,  by  extending  their  jurisdic- 
tion, and  by  increasing  tiio  salaries 
of  the  judges,  lo  give  them  greater 
conse(iuence  and  dignity,  and  lo  in- 
duce gentlemen  acquainted  with  the 


'" 


s  I 


C'OXSrri-dKN'KKAIi.    179!)-1S0'J 


I'Jl 


■'1 
■'i 


ro  MHs,  mai{(;ahf.t  i>k  lancky. 

N.'w  Voik.'l''  Miiy  ISOl. 
Mv  DKAK  Madam  — 

^'()Ul•  r.'ivor  ol"  tlH>  I.V'  (tf  !)(>(!'  !Ui(l  'J()"'  (»r  .iMiHUiry  1  li!iv(> 
lijid  llio  sMlisfaclioii  to  iV('t'iv(>;  luitl  luid  fliitlt'i-cd  inyscll'  llial 
it  would  IxM'orc  tins  luivc  b(>tMi  in  my  po\V(>r  ((»  Imvo  i!,"iv»Mi  you 
Iht'  ]>lt';isiiii!f  iiit"orm;itit>n  of  Mic  S'tllcmciit  of  your  (lower  willi 
lilt'  Shilc  of  \(>w  Yoi-k.  !''or  which  pufposc.  ns  I  ini'oruK'd 
you  List  Auluniu.  il  w;is  ur.'i'ssni'y  to  hnvc  nu  iiccuridt'  list 
!ind  valuiiliou  of  ciich  lot.  l»y  appviiisors,  iipp«)iult'd  by  tlu» 
CoMnnissioMtTs  ol'  this  Stiitc  —  Throujj:!!  M  ('Mdwall.'uhM- Col 
den  your  Atlorucy  I'or  this  |)urpos(\  1  thcrct'ort'  jircscutcd  the 
CouiniissioutTs  with  twelve  n'spcctahlc  n;ini('s  and  desired  to 
nonnuate  three  out  of  liial  uuinber  —  They  dii-i>eted  the  lirsl 
thi-ee  to  1>(>  taken;  who  with  <;i'eat.  iittentiou  and  industry, 
aided  l»y  Stanton  »!v:  ;i  Surveyor,  eoniplet(>d  the  I'eturu  in  lA'h- 
i-uiiry  last  ;  the  total  valut*  of  the  l'islat(>,  e(uni»uted  at,  (llM.TDT 
dollars  iV:  tlie  annual  vahu'  thereof  at  :U),S:{1 .— With  these 
doeuiutMits  and  a  |)t>tition  drawn  \i])  by  me  in  your  nann>  M' 
('olden  proceeded  imni(>dialely  to  Albany,  and  laid  them  be- 
fore the  (\)nimissione)'s  —  The  liefi:isl;itur(>  of  th(>  Stat(>  w.as 
then  sittinjj:  in  that,  City.  The  Commissioners  havin-j:  (>x- 
amined  the  valuation,  nuule  by  (jorman.  K'ussel  iV:  ('armer  the 
appraisers,  were  of  opinion,  thai  it  was  an  ecpiit.'ible  appraise- 
ment ;  but  Jis  your  demand  .amounted  to  ;i.  Sum  inlinilcly  be 
yond  what,  had  ever  come  before  them,  they  consideretl  it  t heii' 
duly,  altho  vested  with  fidl  p(»wers  I.,  purchase  your  rele.ast' 
of  dower,  to  report,  the  facts  to  the  Leij^islalui't*,  iind  to  ju'ay 

liiw,  and  tlio  iTaftii'i"  (if  the  Courts  .•niDtlicr  .l."-0()()  ii  y(>ar.       Mini  iiiii|ii(> 

in  l''iii:;lini(l.  imd  jiMrliiMilarly  sdimc  liavin^  Ix'cu  ^ivcu  np  liy  tlic  Treaty 

(>r  tli(>  advocates  ot'  tlie  civil  law,  to  of  Amiens,  ii  Vice-Admiralty  Court 

accejit  of  these  judicial  otlices."    Ac-  was  (Established  at   I'.jirliadoes.     See 

oordiiit,'ly  by  an  act  of  Parliament  Inlroiliu'tion  to  Stewart's  Adm.  Ke- 

(41  (ieo.  Ill,  Chap.  !!())  courts  wer(>  ports.  American  public  opinion  was 

established  at  Halifax.  .lamaicaaud  no  betl(>rsatislicd  with  the  decisions 

Mar*iui(pi(>  only,  and  sMlari(>s  were  of  the  m>w  courts  than  with  those  of 

authorized    to    be    paid    of    .C'-'tHU),  their  predecessoi-s. 
bosid(>s   per(piisites    not    to   exceed 


I 


I, 


122 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


•  }■  ■ 


i! 


tlieii'  orders  thereou — A  committee  was  appointed  to  take  tlie 
same  into  consideration  and  rei)ort.  M''  Golden  attended  tliem 
and  they  some  days  after  made  a  private  report,  which  I  un- 
derstand from  good  Authority  amounted  to  this  —  Tliat  the 
appraisement  was  (consistent  and  rather  under  than  ahove  tlie 
vahio  of  the  Estate  —  Yet  that  it  wouhl  be  itni)roper  foi* 
the  IFouse  of  Assembly  to  sanction  the  Commissioners  in  pay- 
ing so  large  an  amount  as  you  would  be  entitled  to,  on  the 
Scale  used  on  former  occasions  by  the  Commissioners ;  for  if 
they  allowed  you  an  annuity  during  your  life,  it  could  not  be 
less  than  8000  dollars  per  Annum  and  if  a  sum  in  gross  it 
would  amount  to  near  80,000  dollars. —  Such  compensations  to 
Widows  of  Loyalists,  they  imagined  would  make  no  little  noise 
in  the  State  and  prove  injurious  to  their  political  Interest  — 
They  therefore  recommended  that  the  Commissioners  should 
not  for  the  present  offer  you  any  compensation  but  that  M' 
Hoffman  the  Attorney  General,  be  directed  to  defend  every 
suit  commenced  for  the  recovery  of  your  dower,  create  every 
possible  delay,  and  endeavour  so  to  perplex  and  exhaust  your 
patience,  as  to  induce  you  to  a  second  application,  and  then 
that  the  Commissioners  might  pay  you  30,000  dollars  for  your 
I'clease  in  fidl  —  I  relate  the  above  in  confidence  and  intreat 
you  will  not  let  it  be  known,  as  it  might  injure  me  — 

Under  these  circumstances  we  have  now  no  alternative  but 
to  commence  Suits  —  In  this,  I  shall  use  every  possible  discre- 
tion ;  for  if  tlie  Coiu't  should  determine,  that  you  are  to  pay 
your  own  Costs,  which  I  fear  will  be  the  Case,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  property  will  not  be  worth  suing  for  —  I  mean 
vacant  lots,  and  those  whereon  small  tenements  are  erected. — 
At  the  same  time,  it  will  be  necessary  to  sue  all  the  Tenants 
of  the  Freehold,  who  possess  property  to  any  amount,  and  to 
liurry  on  these  suits,  in  order  to  render  them  anxious  on  their 
own  account,  and  compel  them  in  turn  to  become  Petitioners 
to  the  Legislature  during  their  Session  in  February  next  —  If 
we  can  effect  this  we  shall  turn  the  tables  on  them  and  obtain 
a  better  compensation. —  Of  this  rest  assured  that  I  shall  act 
for  you  as  if  the  stake  was  my  own,  and  that  neither  at- 
tention or  industry  shall  be  wanting  on  my  part  —  By  the  ad- 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


123 


% 


vico  of  M'  Harison  I  have  retained  G  iieral  Hamilton  the 
ablest  Conncil  in  this  place  to  assist  him  and  in  Jnly  next,  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  your  claim  to  the  property  in 
Broadway  will  be  ljrou<|ht  to  a  decision. 

In  the  mean  time  I  intreat  that  by  the  earliest  good  Ameri- 
can conveyance  you  forward  me,  every  paper  relative  to  the 
Estate  of  your  deceased  husl)and,  for  property  in  the  city,  or 
elsewhere  —  The  wild  lands  you  mention,  have  probably  been 
sold  by  the  State,  are  now  under  cultivation  and  worthy  your 
attention  —  Send  me  also  the  affidavits  requested  by  M' 
Colden  — 

It  was  stated  in  the  house  of  Assembly  that  M'  Do  Lancey 
had  given  long  leases  for  a  part  of  this  Estate,  and  that  you 
had  joined  in  these  Leases  —  Also  that  ho  and  you  had  con- 
voyed Mount  Pit  to  Judge  Jones'  —  Pray  answer  me  particu- 
larly as  to  these  suggestions  —  Stanton  tells  me  M'  Do  Lancey 
had  repeatedly  said  to  him,  that  as  M'  Jones  had  not  any  Chil- 
dren, he  did  not  intend  to  give  him  a  deed  for  the  property  — 


TO   LORD    HAWKESBUEY.- 


New  York  12  May  1801. 

{Private.) 
My  Lord 

I  consider  it  my  duty  to  ac(iuaint  your  Lordship  that  it  is 
generally  reported  in  those  States,  and  I  suspect  not  without 
truth,  that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  are  resolved 
to  refuse  complying  with  the  increased  demands  of  the  Dcy  of 
Tripoli ;  in  consoquence  of  which  it  is  supposed  the  Tripolitan 
Ships  will  have  orders  to  capture  all  American  Vessels. —  To 
protect  the  Amtu*ican  Commerce  in  the  Mediterranean  it  is 


1  "  Mount  Pitt"  was  the  town 
houso  of  Judge  Thomas  Jones,  the 
Tory  historian  of  New-York.  It  lay 
not  far  from  Corlear's  Hook  on  the 
East  River.  Mrs.  Jones  was  Anne 
De  Lancey,  a  sister  of  James. 


-  Lord  Hawkesbury  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  Foreign  Office  Feb- 
ruary L*0,  1801,  on  the  formation  of 
Mr.  Addington's  Ministry.  He  is 
better  known  by  his  later  title  of 
Lord  Liverpool. 


J—L 


i 


'■  V' ' 


1 

1 

;    i 

(    ■ 

1    ■, 

'i    1 

1        i 

' 

! 

I    '1 

III 


1'^ 


in 


124 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


said  that  a  Hciuadron  of  five  Frij^atcs  and  two  Cutters  are  to 
be  sent  to  cruise  in  those  seas,  with  orders  to  act  defensively 
only  for  the  present. —  The  Ships  are  to  rendez^'ous  in  the 
Chesapcak  without  loss  of  time,  and  will  probably  sail  in  a 
month  from  this. 

I  subjoin  the  names  and  force  of  the  Ships  to  be  employed 
on  this  Service 

Guns 

United  States 44 

Constitution 44 

President 44 

(Congress 3G 

Essex 32 


TO   LORD   HAWKESBURY. 

New  York  5"'  June  1801. 
My  Lord  — 

Complaint  has  been  made  to  me  that  two  officers  who  served 
in  the  Provincial  (^orps  during  the  Am"  War  and  who  are  now 
in  the  receipt  of  half  pay,  have  taken  the  oaths  of  allegiance 
to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  in  that  oath  in  positive 
terms  and  by  name,  abjured  our  most  gracious  Sovereign. — 
( rabriel  V  Ludlow  Ensine  in  Brig'  General  De  Lanccys  Bri- 
gade —  and  a  M'  Thomas  Carpenter,  at  present  of  Saratoga  in 
this  State,  but  to  what  Provincial  Corps  he  belonged  I  cannot 
learn  ;  are  the  persons  who  have  taken  these  oaths. 

It  is  not  for  me  to  make  any  remark  on  the  Conduct  of 
these  persons,  or  to  observe  that  prudence  dictates  that  the 
allowance  of  half  pay,  should  be  with  held  from  Characters  of 
the  above  description ;  but  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  there 
are  at  this  moment  a  great  number  of  half  pay  officers,  who 
have  become  subjects  of  the  United  States;  and  many  of  them 
violent  in  their  principals  and  Conduct  in  opposition  to  His 
majesty  and  the  interest  of  the  united  Kingdom  — 


;i6- 


-1: 
-y 


■i 


4 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


125 


TO    VICE-ADMIRAL    TAIIKER. 


■t 
■'•■'' 


New  York  8tli  Juno  ISOl. 
Sir: 

The  inclosed  letter  will  give  you  in  substance  the  latest  ac- 
counts that  I  have  received  fi-oni  Virginia  respecting  His  Ma- 
jesty's ship  the  Boston  and  tlie  french  Frigate  the  Semillante. 
By  a  schooner  that  left  Hampton  roads  on  Tuesday  last,  I  am 
informed  that  the  American  Squadron  and  the  Semillante  lay 
there  apparently  reatiy  for  Sea.  Should  the  Semillante  wait 
the  sailing  of  the  American  ships,  it  is  probable  she  will  not 
be  out  in  some  days.  Captain  Douglas  has  almost  a  daily 
communication  with  Col.  Hamilton  the  Consul  at  Norfolk. 

Monsieur  Pichon  charge  des  affaires  from  the  french  repub- 
lic to  these  States  called  on  me  a  few  days  since  on  the  subject 
of  a  flag  of  truce,  whicli  he  wished  and  I  had  declined.  In 
that  conversation  I  drew  from  him  that  he  had  sent  sixty  peo- 
\)\e  of  colour  who  had  been  prisoners  to  the  Americans  to  Bos- 
ton to  assist  in  manning  the  Berceau.  These  men  have  gone 
most  reluctantly  and  although  ex(^hangcd  were  kept  in  Gaol 
until  embarked  for  Boston.  I  suspect  the  Berceau  has  sailed 
by  this  —  her  destination  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.' 
The  news  from  Egypt  is  the  more  pleasing,  as  it  contradicts 
the  french  reports.- 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL  PARKER. 


uct  of 

at  the 

tcrs  of 

there 

who 

them 

o  His 


Sir 


New  York  24  June,  ISOl 


I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  early  this  morning  the 
French  armed  Brig  the  Mutine  of  10  Cuns,  Avith  an  armed 


1  Tlie  Boreoau  was  a  Freiicli  cor- 
vette cai)turcd  in  November,  1800, 
by  the  U.  S.  Ship  Boston.  She  was 
restored  to  tlie  Frencli  Government 
in  accordance  with  the  third  article 
of  the  Convention  of  Sejjtember  liO, 
1800.  The  U.  S.  S.  Boston  is  not  to  be 
confounded  with  the  Britisli  frigate 
of  the  same  name.    The  American 


vessel  was  built  at  Boston  in  1799, 
and  came  to  an  ignominious  end  in 
1814,  being  burned  at  the  Washing- 
ton Navy  Yard  to  avoid  falling  into 
English  hands. 

"The  "news  from  Egypt"  was 
Abereromby's  victory  at  Alexan- 
dria, Marcli  21.  1801. 


n 


1 1 


120 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF   THOMAS  BARCLAY 


y  I 


II: 

11 


W     I 


1  Ml 


11 


n 


Mercliant  Ship  of  ten  Guns  from  Cayenne  came  to  an  anchor 
about  four  miles  below  this  City.  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
learn  precisely  their  object  or  destination,  a  confidential  per- 
son was  on  board  both  of  thorn  last  Evnjjf  on  entcrinL?  the 
Ilook,  but  as  ho  did  not  speak  frcnch,  and  found  only  one  man 
on  board  tlie  Brig  wlio  could  speak  English,  he  obtained  but 
little  information.  It  appears  that  the  Ship  has  a  number  of 
exiles  from  France  on  board  who  had  permission  to  leave  Cay- 
enne, l)ut  I  have  not  yet  ascertain(Hl  whether  they  are  to  go  to 
France  or  settle  in  America.  On  Board  the  Mutiue  the  men 
and  ofliccrs  were  very  inquisitive  to  learn  whether  there  were 
many  British  Ships  in  Port,  how  many  had  lately  sailed,  and 
if  there  were  any  nearly  ready  for  Sea  — 

I  have  sent  back  the  person  above  nu?ntioned,  with  another 
equally  trust  worthy  who  speaks  frcnch ;  but  as  it  is  uncertain 
whether  they  will  return  in  time  for  the  New  Brunswick  Ves- 
sel, which  leaves  this  in  an  hour  or  two,  I  have  determined  to 
forward  this  imperfect  Statement.  About  two  hours  after  the 
above  vessels  came  to  an  anchor,  His  Majestys  armed  Brig  the 
Serpent  commanded  by  L'  Dwire  came  up  to  Town.  He  in- 
forms me  that  he  was  ordered  on  a  Cruize  by  Admiral  Duck- 
worth with  orders  to  proceed  as  far  as  35  North  Latitude  and 
if  possible  speak  one  of  the  Ships  belonging  to  your  Squadron, 
to  inform  you  that  on  the  28  of  May  two  frcnch  Frigates  of  48 
&  44  Guns  had  got  in  to  Guadeloupe  from  France.  Near  that 
Island  they  were  met  with  by  His  Majestys  Ship  the  Androm- 
acke  who  exchanged  a  few  broadsides  with  both  of  them, 
but  the  frcnch  frigates  avoided  the  action  and  got  into  Point 
Petre. —  That  the  Admiral  was  suspicious  they  would  en- 
deavour to  get  out,  and  probably  come  on  this  coast.  L'  Dwire 
adds  that  there  is  a  chain  of  Privateers  from  Guadeloupe  ex- 
tending from  Longitude  GO  to  Newfoimdland — That  one  of 
these  had  captured  the  Duke  of  Kent  Merchant  Man  ladened 
with  fish,  which  he  recaptured  in  sight  of  Guadeloupe  —  L' 
Dwire  put  in  to  this  place  in  distress,  having  sprung  a  leak 
and  making  so  much  water  as  not  to  be  able  to  keep  his  ship 
free  with  one  pump  —  The  Carpenters  go  on  board  the  Ser- 
pent early  in  the  morning  and  I  hope  in  two  or  three  daj^s  she 


7\ 
5  ' 
I 


CONSUL-OENERAFi,   1799-1S02 


127 


I  auclioi' 

1  ll\>l{i  to 

tial  pei'- 
nwg  tlio 
Olio  man 
uumI  l)ut 
mibei*  of 
ave  Cay- 
to  go  to 
the  men 
eve  wert! 
ik'd,  and 

I  another 
m certain 
v'ick  Ves- 
mincd  to 
after  the 
.  Brig  the 
.    lie  in- 
i-al  Duek- 
tnde  and 
Kjuadron, 
ates  of  48 
*^ear  that 
Androm- 
of  them, 
ito  Point 
onld   en- 
I*  Dwire 
oupe  ex- 
it one  of 
ladened 
lupe  —  L* 
ng  a  leak 
liis  ship 
the  Ser- 
days  she 


1 


will  be  ready  for  sea. —  1  am  very  apprehensive  L*  Dwire  will 
lose  many  of  his  men  —  He  liowever  thinks  otherwise,  as  they 
have  been  some  time  on  board  tlie  Brig,  and.  have  ujiwards  of 
CSO  per  man  due  them  for  prize  money. —  In  case  the  Mi'tine 
attempts  to  put  to  Sea  wliile  the  Serpent  remains  liere,  I  will 
procure  him  as  many  volunteers  as  he  nee  N  to  pursue  her  — 
The  Serpent  ho  assures  me  sails  remarkably  well,  and  he  as- 
sures me  lie  is  equal  to  lioth  these  ships  —  He  passed  in  com- 
ing up  within  half  a  cables  length  of  both  of  them,  and  tells 
me  the  Mutiiie  has  very  long  six  pounders,  so  that  they  must 
be  loaded  out  side  —  On  Saturday  the  Berceau  was  still  at 
Boston  ready  for  sea.  She  has  shipped  50  American  Seamen, 
discharged  from  the  Am"  Frigate  the  (constitution,  at  200  dol- 
lars per  man  for  the  run  to  France  —  This  is  correct,  should 
she  therefore  fall  into  our  possession  you  will  of  course  taki; 
care  of  these  men  amongst  whom  it  is  to  be  feared  you  will 
find  British  Seamen  —  Accept  my  best  thanks  for  your  polite 
andf  riendly  answer  respecting  my  Son  on  board  the  Boston,  and 
for  your  assent  that  M'  Izard  my  nephew  may  join  the  Boston 
until  you  have  a  proper  ship  whereon  to  hoist  your  fiag.^ 

I  intrcat  you  to  pardon  this  hasty  letter,  written  under 
great  distress  of  mind,  my  dear  little  infant  being  dangerously 
ill  — 

TO   MR.  THORNTON." 

Ncw  York  .'JOth  Juno  ISOl. 
Sir  — 

I  am  this  moment  honored  with  your  letters  of  the  27  &  28 
Current,  the  former  accompanied  with  copies  of  regulations  es- 


1  "My  son  "  was  Thomas  Barclay 
tlio  younger,  then  a  niidshijimau 
aboard  H.  M.  S.  Boston.  "Mr.  Iz.ird 
my  nephew "  was  a  son  of  Ralph 
Izard  of  South  Carolina,  whose  wife 
was  Alice  De  Lancey,  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Barclay's.  Young  Izard  must 
have  been  a  guest  of  the  Admiral's, 
for  none  of  Ralph  Izard's  sons  were 


in  the  British  service.  Perhaps  this 
is  Raljih  Izard,  Jr.,  of  the  U.  S.  Navy, 
who  distinguished  himself  three  or 
four  years  later  at  Tripoli. 

2  Thornton  was  at  this  time  in 
charge  of  the  British  Legation  in 
Washington,  Mr.  Listen  having  re- 
turned to  England  about  a  year 
before. 


128 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  HARCFjAY 


11 


tablislied  by  tlie  American  Uoverninent  in  1794  &  179"),  to 
whicli  pavlicular  attention  sliall  1)0  paid  —  I  received  al)ont  a 
fortniglit  since  from  M'  Maston  of  Wilminj^ton,  Delaware,  who 
arrived  at  Boston  from  Halifax  Nova  Scotia  information  that 
the  British  Vessel  he  was  in,  had  been  chased  and  fired  npon 
near  Oape  Cod,  by  a  small  french  privateer  Scliooner  —  on  his 
arrival  at  Boston  and  making  mention  of  the  Circumstance,  it 
was  generally  supposed  she  was  the  Borguine,  Dallas  Master, 
who  had  entered  and  cleared  as  a  Merchant  Vessel  and  after 
leaving  Boston,  mounted  Guns,  concealed  in  her  hold  —  I 
learn  from  a  Captain  Stewart,  a  few  days  since  from  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  that  close  in  with  Marthas  \  ii.eyard,  he  was  hailed  and 
spoken  to  by  a  stout  armed  french  Brig;  and  which  from  dates 
could  not  1)0  the  Mutine  now  in  this  Port  —  of  all  these  cir- 
cumstances, I  have  informed  Admiral  Parker,  l)y  two  Convey- 
ances the  last  of  wliich  sailed  on  Sunday  —  I  have  likewise 
made  him  acquainted  with  the  french  armed  Vessels  being  in 
this  Port,  and  what  Admiral  Duckworth,  directed  Lieut  Dwyer 
to  communicate  to  the  Commanders  of  any  of  the  Ships  ap- 
pertaining to  the  Halifax  Station  — 

I  have  not  seen  L'  Dwyer,  since  the  day  of  his  arrival  owing 
to  the  distressed  situation  of  my  dear  infant,  who  lay  in  Con- 
vulsions from  Thursday  until  Sunday,  when  it  expired  ^  —  I 
however  not  only  urged  him  to  hasten  her  being  ready  for  Sea, 
but  desired  M""  Shanyon,  who  superintends  the  repairs  to  fur- 
nish as  many  Carpenters,  as  could  work  to  advantage. —  I  shall 
see  him  in  a  da>  or  two,  and  if  necessary  i)ress  his  stay,  if 
consistent  with  his  instructions  — 


'.   'f 


i!  1^ 


TO  LOKD   HAWKESBURY. 

New  York,  8  July  1801. 
My  Lord, 

A  number  of  national  french  armed  vessels  and  some  priva- 
teers have  within  the  lai-T  six  weeks  made  their  appearance  on 
the  American  coasts  and  I  am  very  apprehensive  will  injure 

1  Cornelia,  born  May  23,  died  June  28,  1801. 


:^ 


)      1 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


129 


795,  to 
^hont  a 
,re,  who 
on  that 
m1  upon 
-  on  his 
tauce,  it 
Master, 
1(1  after 
Lokl  — I 
3  Bay  of 
iU^d  and 
m  dates 
icse  cir- 
Convey- 
likewiso 
being  in 
t  Dwyer 
hips  ap- 


the  British  trade,  not  only  to  these  States,  Init  His  Majesty's 
eolf)nies  on  the  Continent.  The  Halifax  Sqnadron  nnder  Vice 
Adni'  Sir  Wl'  Parker  is  very  weak,  eonsistinjif  at  present  of 
only  three  frigates  and  t^vo  sloops.  Of  these  the  Cleopatra  is 
detached  to  Jamaica  for  Specie  for  the  pay  office  at  Halifax. 
The  Boston  is  and  has  been  since  the  26  of  April  at  the  Capes 
of  Virginia  Idockading  the  Seinillante  a  french  frigate  laying 
in  Hampton  Roads,  and  the  Andromache  sailed  about  a  fort- 
night since  for  Virginia  to  relieve  the  Bostcni,  who  wants  re- 
pairs not  having  been  in  port  since  last  Autumn.  The  Pheas- 
ant sloop  is  off  Boston  waiting  the  Bercean,  a  stout  french 
corvette,  captured  some  time  since  by  the  Americans,  and 
lately  restored  to  the  fren(!h.  The  LiUy  is  either  at  Halifax  or 
cruising  —  Your  Lordship  will  perceive  that  the  Lilly,  a  mis- 
erable sloop,  is  the  only  ship,  tliat  can  at  present  be  detached 
to  protect  the  trade  from  Cape  Breton  to  West  Florida — and 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  the  nunil)ers  of  french  ships  of  war 
and  armed  vessels  will  increase  in  proportion,  as  it  is  discov- 
ered, that  tliese  shores  are  unprotected  — 


il  owing 
in  Con- 

KhP  — I 

for  Sea, 

s  to  f  ur- 

I  shall 

stay,  if 


1801. 

[e  priva- 
jance  on 
Il  injure 


rO   LOliD   HAWKESBURY. 

New  York  3  August  1801. 
My  Lord. 

Your  Lordsliij)  is  undoubtedly  fully  informed  of  the  im- 
mense emigrations  that  have  taken  place  during  the  present 
season  from  G  Britain  and  Ireland  to  these  States.  Of  the 
cause  however  I  suspect  His  Majestys  Ministers  are  ignorant, 
under  this  impression  I  take  the  Liberty  to  state,  that  there 
are  several  Societies  formed  within  the  United  States  consist- 
ing principally  «)f  persons  who  have  either  from  political  or 
religious  principles  left  Grreat  Britain  and  Ireland,  who  keep 
up  a  constant  correspondence  with  his  Majestys  Subjects,  and 
by  every  conveyance  send  over  to  England,  Scotland,  and  Ire- 
land, seditious  inflamatory  publications  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  rendering  His  Majestys  Subjects  dissatisfied  with  their 
present  situation  and  the  measures  of  Government  —  Describ- 


'M' 


Ifii 


\  i 


L  t 


1  i 


!  I 


t 


\i 


H 


130 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


inp:  thfiir  own  onvicd  situation  in  America  in  tho  enjoyment  of 
Liberty  and  equality,  free  from  taxation ;  and  painting  these 
States  as  a  field  where  wealth  is  reaped  with  care  and  moder- 
ate industry. —  Of  these  mischievous  societies  some  are  headed 
by  dissenting?  Clergymen,  who  were  obliged  to  leave  G  Britain 
on  account  of  political  violence,  these  men  in  addition  to  the 
above  mentioned  arf:;:uments,urge  fanatical  persuasionsardhave 
deluded  most  of  the  Welsh  that  have  emigrated  this  year. — 

Part  of  ray  information  I  have  from  the  unfortunate 
Wretches  who  have  come  over,  and  from  finding  themselves 
deceived;  are  more  anxious  to  return,  than  they  originally 
were  to  come  out. —  Near  one  hundred  have  at  different 
periods  made  application  to  me  for  passages  home,  which  was 
not  in  my  power  to  grant;  I  have  however  given  three  Welsh- 
men passages  in  the  Prince  Earnest  Pacquet,  in  the  hope,  that 
on  their  return  they  will  by  their  representations  effectually 
prevent  any  more  of  their  Countrymen  from  giving  faith  to 
these  wicked  representations. 

Abont  two  months  since  I  received  correct  information  that 
a  society  was  established  in  this  City  for  the  purpose  of  com- 
municating with  His  Majestys  Subjects  in  (Ireat  Britain  & 
Ireland,  in  order  to  render  them  dissatisfied  with  their  situa- 
tion, to  encourage  them  to  attempt  a  revolution  and  in  the 
event  of  that  not  succeeding  to  draw  these  over  to  this  Conn- 
try.  Cheetham  ^  an  Englishman,  the  Editor  of  a  newspaper, 
John  Woods,^  who  had  taught  drawing  in  the  University  at 
Edinburgh,  and  a  John  Thomson,  Scotchman  were  at  the 
head  of  this  junto. —  About  this  period  I  received  a  note  from 
a  person  who  signed  himself  "  an  Englishman  " ;  and  wishing 
to  give  the  person  the  information  he  desired,  I  advertised  re- 
questing him  to  call  on  me. — Woods  instantly  took  the  alarm, 
and  suspecting  that  I  had  discovered  the  designs  of  his  So- 
ciety ;  got  himself  introduced  to  me,  by  a  person  who  taught 


1  James  Cheotham,  at  this  time 
editor  of  the  American  Citizen  and 
Watchtower. 

'^  John  Wood  was  born  about  1755 ; 
emigrated  to  America  in  1800,  and 


died  in  1822.  He  is  best  known  as 
the  author  of  the  scurrilous  His- 
tory of  the  Administration  of  John 
Adams. 


^ 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


131 


iient  of 
^  these 
moder- 
headed 
Britain 
1  to  the 
ndhave 
ear. — 
rtunate 
mselves 
i^inally 
lifferent 
lich  was 
!  Welsh- 
>pe,  that 
ectually 
faith  to 

ion  that 
of  coni- 
ritain  & 
lir  sitna- 
in  the 
Conn- 
vspaper, 
rsity  at 
at  the 
:e  from 
wishing 
ised  re- 
alarm, 
his  So- 
taught 

inown  as 
lous  His- 
of  John 


4 

V 


my  children.  His  confession  was  full  as  to  the  original  design 
of  the  institution,  but  he  assured  me,  it  was  discontinued  — 
For  the  moment  I  suppose  it  was,  but  I  have  no  doubt  it 
is  again  in  operation  and  with  increased  violence  and  malig- 
nity against  His  Majesty  and  the  Government.  I  take  the  lib- 
erty to  inclose  your  Lordship  two  news  papers,  the  conse- 
quences of  Woods  calling  on  me.  The  representations 
contained  in  the  first  with  respect  to  myself  are  generally 
devoid  of  truth.  Your  Lordship  will  observe  that  Cheetham 
altho'  he  denies  the  Society  having  ever  commenced  their 
operations,  fully  avows  what  was  intended. —  These  publica- 
tions as  well  as  private  letters  on  political  Subjects  are  for- 
warded in  Ships  bound  to  different  Ports  in  Scotland.  And  I 
should  suppose  that  a  mode  might  be  adopted  by  Government 
to  possess  themselves  of  some  of  them. — 


TO  BRIGADIER-GENERAL   FULLER,  GOVERNOR   OF   THE 
ISLAND    OF    ST.    CROIX. 


Sir. 


Consul  Generals  Office  17  Sept'  1801. 


In  reply  to  your  favor  of  the  16"'  of  August  delivered  to  me 
by  M'  Farrell,  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  discover  the  Person  who  carried  to  the  Printers  the 
ExttMct  of  the  Letter  from  S'  Croix  and  which  was  published 
in  the  New  York  Gazette  of  the  first  of  July.^ 


1  The  publication  referred  to  is  a 
Letter  to  a  New  York  Gentleman 
from  a  Friend  in  St.  Croix,  "  Since 
I  loft  you  at  New  York,"  says  the 
friend,  "wehav  hadagreatehauge 
in  our  Government.  On  the  Brit- 
ish fleet  taking  possession,  I  was  in 
hopes  that  they  intended  to  act  with 
moderation ;  but  (it  seems)  it  was 
only  to  find  out  the  real  state  of 
people's  property,  so  that  they  might 
the  more  promptly  fall  on  a  plan  to 
deprive  every  person  of  as  much  as 


they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  The 
General  has  been  committing  one 
act  of  violence  after  another  for  sev- 
eral weeks,"  etc. 

St.  Croix  was  taken  by  a  British 
fleet  under  command  of  Admiral 
Duckwoith  on  March  5,  1801.  Be- 
ing very  ill  prepared  for  resistance, 
the  island  was  surrendered  without 
opposition.  It  was  restored  to  the 
Danish  Government  uuder  the  Treaty 
of  Amiens  in  1802. 


1  a 


li 


I  1 


132 


COIIRESPONDENOE   OF   THOMAS    MAIK^L.VY 


Upon  intern >{?atiiif;r  M'  Lan^  tho  Editor  he  told  mo  that  tlie 
Guiitlernan  who  {jfuvo  him  the  extract  was  a  Stnin}j:eran(l  sup- 
posing it  eontained  nothing  pccnliarly  offensive,  l)nt  rather 
matters  of  dispnte  nnder  tiie  treaty,  he  had  j)nl»lish(!(l  it.  M'' 
Lang  added  tiiat  the  person  who  hrouglit  the  extraet  was  at- 
tended by  a  hime  Ginitlenuin  as  I  take  it  tor  granted  this  must 
have  been  CounseUor  Benson,  or  Nelson,  I  never  could  distin- 
guish the  nanuis  between  him  and  the  Judge  who  both  came 
from  S*  Croix  to  this  plaee  — 

1  have  spoken  very  severely  to  the  Printer,  and  assured  him 
it  was  more  tiian  probable  he  would  be  prosecmted  as  he  either 
would  or  could  not  ascertain  the  Author.  He  is  not  a  little 
alarmed,  and  has  promised  me  to  be  more  guarded  in  future. — 
I  do  not  however  think  either  a  private  action  or  an  indictment 
against  Lang  would  be  attended  witli  damages  which  would 
afford  any  satisfactory  pecuniary  piniishment. — 

The  American  presses  are  licentious  in  the  extreme  and 
the  spirit  of  the  Constitution  tends  the  reverse  of  a  check  on 
them. 


TO  VICE-ADMIIIAL    LOUD   HUGH   SEYMOUR,  JAMAICA. 

Consul  General's  Office  for  the 
Eastern  States  of  America  23  Sepf  1801. 
My  Lord  — 

It  is  always  with  extreme  reluctance  that  I  make  a])plication 
to  any  of  His  Majestys  officers  of  the  Navy  for  the  discharge 
of  American  Seamen  impressed  ^  "'^'h  mistake  into  service, 
from  a  conviction  that  where  e  one  American  in  our 

Service  there  are  fifty  Bri'  aen  serving  in  American 

Ships — 

Instances  however  occur  wnere  humanity  pleads  so  strongly 
in  favor  of  persons  impressed,  that  it  would  be  doing  violence 
to  my  feelings  not  to  state  their  case,  and  intercede  in  their 
Behalf — The  favor  I  am  now  to  ask  of  your  Lordship  is  of 
that  description. 

Jonas  Hamilton  a  native  and  Citizen  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade  and  a  resident  in  this 


:m 


CONSUL-QENEllAL,   1799-1802 


133 


lat  the 
i<l  sup- 
rather 
It.  M' 
,vas  at- 
s  must 
(listin- 
11  came 

ed  him 
e  either 
a  little 
iture. — 
ictnieut 
I  wouhl 

me  aud 
heck  on 


City,  was  advised  for  the  renovery  of  his  health  to  take  a 
voyajje,  and  })einff  a  poor  man  shl])p('d  as  a  Sailor  on  board 
the  Siiip  Plercules,  William  Sutherland  Master  then  bound 
for  (kira(,'ao  —  On  the  second  August  Hamilton  was  taken 
from  on  board  the  Hercules  at  Cura(,'ao  by  a  party  from  His 
Majestys  ship  the  Quebec,  carried  on  board  her  and  detained 
as  a  Seaman  when  ('ap*  Sutherland  came  away  —  Hamilton 
has  an  ajj^ed  Mother  a  Wife  and  two  infant  Children,  dependent 
on  his  labor  —  he  is  29  years  of  age,  about  Ave  feet  ten  or 
eleven  Indies  in  height  and  has  a  small  Wen  on  one  Ear  and 
of  a  fair  Complexion—  Was  born  at  Braintree,  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts. 

Permit  me  my  Lord  to  intreat  in  behalf  of  the  mother  Wife 
and  Children  that  you  will  have  the  Goodness  to  order  that  he 
may  be  discharged  His  Majestys  Service,  and  that  should  he 
have  been  transferred  to  any  other  ship  under  your  command, 
you  will  have  the  Goodness  to  direct  the  order  to  the  officer 
Commanding  for  his  release.' 


.ICA. 


TO   H.  R.  H.  THE   DUKE  OF   KENT. 


the 
1801. 

(lication 

scharge 

service, 

in  our 

nericaii 

[trongly 
dole  nee 

liu  their 
|ip  is  of 

States 
in  this 


New  York,  10'"  Oct'  1801. 
Sir, 

I  intreat  your  Royal  Highness  will  be  pleased  to  accept  my 
grateful  acknowledgements  for  your  most  gracious  and 
friendly  letters  of  the  IS*""  and  18"'  of  July  received  a  few  days 
since  by  the  Lady  Hobart  packet.  Permit  me  at  the  same 
time  to  assure  your  Royal  Highness  that  I  am  duly  sensible  of 
the  interest  you  take  in  my  son's  promotion,  and  of  your  co- 
operation with  Lord  Hawkesbury  in  effecting  His  Majesty's 
permission  for  my  coming  to  England  and  leaving  ray  eldest 
son  to  transact  the  Business  of  my  office. —  I  have  for  many 


1  A  very  large  part  of  Barclay's 
correspondence  was  taken  up  bj'  the 
ever-troublesome  question  of  im- 
pressment. Only  a  few  of  his  many 
appeals  on  behalf  of  Americans  un- 


lawfully seized  are  here  printed,  for 
he  was  always  ready  to  urge  tho 
release  of  any  man  who  could  pro- 
duce evidence  of  being  a  native-born 
American  citizen. 


'    s 


134 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


)•    i 


)     ■? 


:- 


reasons  resolved  not  to  avail  myself  of  His  Majestys  leave  of 
absence  until  the  Month  of  March,  when  I  shall  embark  for 
England.  The  possibility  of  a  peace  before  that  period  is  one 
of  my  reasons  for  not  coming  more  early,^ 

I  sincerely  congratulate  your  Royal  Highness  on  the  recov- 
ery of  His  Majesty  and  am  happy  to  hear  from  your  pen  that 
his  health  is  oetter  than  it  has  been  for  some  years  past. — 
May  God  long  nreserve  him  a  comfort  t  Iiis  family  and  a 
blessing  to  his  Subjects. 

The  Vice  Courts  of  Admiralty  beyond  all  doubt  required  a 
great  reform  and  un  ler  this  impression  I  took  the  Liberty  to 
communicate  my  opinion  last  Winter  to  Lord  Grenville  on  the 
Subject  of  the  captures  and  condemnations  of  American  Ves- 
sels.—  It  is  true  the  American  merchants  by  contraband  trade, 
and  conveying  Enemy's  property,  have  given  just  cause  to 
suspect  that  every  one  of  their  Ships  were  laden  in  part  or  the 
whole  contrary  to  the  Law  of  Nations  and  the  existing  treaty ; 
still  suspicion  alone  was  not  a  sufficient  cause  for  capture  and 
detention,  much  less  of  eventual  condemnation.  By  the  pres- 
ent act  of  Parliament  -  these  courts  are  now  placed  on  so  re- 
spectable a  footing  that  while  His  Majesty's  rights  and  those 
of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Navy  are  amply  secured ;  the 
property  of  foreigners  will  be  preserved  sacred  so  long  as  they 
continue  to  remove  it  conformably  to  law. —  Dr.  Cook^  whom 
your  Royal  Highness  names  as  the  Gentleman  appointed  for 
Halifax,  I  take  for  granted  is  an  able  civilian  and  one  who  will 
give  universal  satisfaction. 

I  sincerely  lament  that  my  amiable  and  worthy  friend  Sir 
John  Wentworth  is  to  be  removed  from  his  Government.  The 
measure  I  fear  will  break  that  good  man's  heart.  -A  more 
zealous  faithful  Subject  never  existed ;  but  I  fear  he  may  have 
been  as  inattentive  to  the  expenditure  of  public  money  as  of 


1  The  preliminai'ies  of  peace  were 
signed  in  October,  1801,  the  Treaty 
of  Amiens,  March  25,  1802. 

2  41  Geo.  Ill,  Chap.  96. 

3  Alexaniter  ("-ukb,  LL.  D.,  is  the 
pei'son  inter/ded.    He  was  a  man  of 


great  ability  and  force  of  character, 
and  exercised  his  powers  with  un- 
sparing severity  in  condemning 
American  vessels  brought  before 
him  as  prizes.  His  decisions  are 
collected  in  Stewart's  Reports. 


1.       11 

j 

ki 

CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


135 


eave  of 
ark  for 
i  is  one 

e  recov- 

)en  that 

past. — 

yr  and  a 

rjuired  a 
berty  to 
le  on  the 
can  Ves- 
nd  trade, 
cause  to 
brt  or  the 
g  treaty ; 
•tare  and 
the  pres- 
on  so  re- 
md  those 
ired ;  the 
g  as  they 
k  3  whom 
inted  for 
who  will 

•iend  Sir 

lent.   The 

-A  more 

pay  have 

ley  as  of 

I  character, 
Is  with  un- 
jndemning 
jht  before 
tisions  are 
eports. 


his  own. —  His  natural  Benevolence  has  ever  rendered  him  a 
dupe  to  designing  men  ;  and  I  have  more  than  once  intreated 
him  to  give  an  absolute  negative  in  the  first  instance  to 
improper  applications. —  His  interference  with  the  Maroons  I 
protested  against  in  the  warmest  terms,  and  if  Sir  John  will 
revert  to  my  letters  when  the  maroons  arrived  in  Nova  Scotia 
he  will  find  that  what  I  then  predicted  has  actually  come  to 
pass. —  Still  I  believe  his  hands  are  clean,  however  negligent 
he  may  have  been  as  to  expenditures ;  and  although  I  condemn 
the  measure  of  his  ever  having  had  anything  to  do  witli  them  ;  I 
am  satisfied,  the  location  was  judicious  for  their  establishment.^ 

I  took  the  Liberty  to  forward  to  your  Royal  Highness  by 
the  last  Packet,  a  political  Pamphlet,  which  I  considered  well 
written.      I  have  now  the  Honor  to  inclose  you  the  answer  to 

it  under  the  signature  of  Leonidas You  will  scarce  have 

patience  to  run  over  this  miserable  performance.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  production  of  a  Scotchman  of  the  name  of  Wood, 
who  was  obliged  to  fly  Great  Britain  to  avoid  a  prosecution. 

Mrs.  Barclay  requests  your  Royal  Highness'  acceptarice  of 
her  most  respectful  regards,  and  desires  me  to  add  that  she 
feels  herself  greatly  flattered  by  finding  you  still  hold  her  in 
remembrance. 

TO   GENERAL  DE   LANCEY. 

New  York  2""  Deer.  1801. 
My  dear  Sir, 

By  the  promotions  Stated  in  the  London  Gazette  of  the  5"' 
of  Sept'.  I  learn  that  my  son  De  Lancey  Barclay  has  been  re- 


1  Biirolay's  fears  for  Sir  Jolin  were 
unfounded,  for  he  continued  Gover- 
nor of  Nova  Scotia  until  1808,  when 
he  was  retired  upon  a  pension.  The 
Maroons  liere  referred  to  were  re- 
moved from  Jamaica  in  1796.  They 
were  at  first  lodged  in  tents  near  the 
City  of  Halifax  and  employed  by 
the  Duke  of  Kent  in  working  upon 
the  fortifications,  where  the  Maroon 
Bastion  still  commemorates  them. 


They  were  then  colonized  at  Preston, 
where  they  wei'e  supported  at  very 
great  expense  by  the  Government 
of  Jamaica ;  but  this  aid  being  with- 
drawn they  suffered  great  privations 
during  the  cold  winters  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  wore  finally,  in  1800,  ra- 
moved  to  the  more  congenial  climate 
of  Sierra  Leone.  See  Haliburton's 
Nova  Scotia,  Vol.  11,  p.  282;  Dal- 
las's History  of  the  Maroons. 


( 

1 

i 

I 

ii 
li 

) 
■ 

1 

i 

1 

i; 
.1 
1 

i, 


I ; 


(  1 


n 


i  , 


i  I 


i. 


;    i 


I    '  ! 


!:«,    i 


>  ' 


136 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


moved  from  the  41  Regt.  to  a  cornetcy  in  the  l?'**  Light  Dra- 
goons.i  I  am  satisfied  he  owes  this  promotion  wholly  to  your 
kindness,  and  am  gratefully  sensible  of  this  continued  testi- 
mony of  your  friendly  disposition  to  me  and  mine.  He  is  at 
present  at  Montreal  in  Canada  with  the  41"'  Reg*  I  have  writ- 
ten to  him  informing  him  of  his  promotion  and  to  Lt  General 
Hunter,  requesting  that  he  may  have  leave  to  come  to  New 
York  in  his  way  to  England  to  join  his  Regiment.  He  will 
therefore  leave  this  in  February  or  March;  not  a  moment 
shall  be  lost. —  I  can  confidently  assure  you  my  deai*  Sir,  that 
an  acquaintance  with  my  Son,  will  satisfy  you  that  your  good 
offices  have  not  been  improperly  bestowed  on  him. —  I  hope  to 
embark  with  him  for  London.  By  this  conveyance  I  send  y(  n 
two  Barrels  best  Newtown  pippins,  which  I  hope  will  arrive  -U 
good  order — They  are  addressed  to  Brook  Watson  Esq'  & 
Co. —  Present  Mrs.  Barclay's  and  my  best  regards  to  Mrs.  and 
Miss  DeLancey. 


TO   MR.   BROUGHTON. 


Sir. 


New  York,  13'"  Dec'  1801. 


Your  favor  of  the  11th  Dec'  covering  the  bill  of  laden  and 
ace'  of  the  Statutes  at  large,  which  you  have  had  the  Goodness 
to  ship  me,  also  the  certificates  of  the  two  half  tickets  in  the 
State  lottery  I  rec''  by  the  Harlequin  Packet  —  Accept  my 
thanks  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken — I  shall  make  no  re- 
marks on  the  quarterly  amount  you  receive  for  me,  waiting 
your  answer  to  my  letter  on  that  subject,  farther  than  to 
observe  it  appears  less  than  my  predecessoi-'s,  while  my  situa- 
tion requires  at  least  the  same ;  for  two  reasons  —  First  be- 
cause the  pi'ice  of  every  article  of  Life  is  greatly  enhanced  and 
secondly  from  my  seeing  more  company  in  a  month,  than  Sir 
John  Temple  did  in  a  year. —  The  latter  is  not  from  iuclina- 


1  General  De  Laucey  was  Colouel 
of  this  Regimeut.  De  Lancey  Bar- 
clay's Commission  as  Cornet  bears 


date  August  29,  1801,  and  he  was 
promoted  to  be  Lieutenant  in  the 
same  Regiment  on  July  9, 1802. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


137 


t  Dra- 
)  your 

.  testi- 
e  is  at 
e  writ- 
reneral 
o  New 
ie  will 
loment 
Ir,  that 
Lr  good 
iiope  to 
snd  y<  n 
rrive  n 
Esq'  & 
[rs.  and 


f  1801. 

den  and 
oodness 

in  the 
ept  my 

no  re- 
waiting 
than  to 
y  situa- 
irst  be- 
iced  and 
than  Sir 
iuclina- 

(1  he  was 
nt  in  the 
1802. 


tion,  but  with  a  view  to  further  His  Majestys  Service  —  of  the 
propriety  of  which  every  days  experience  convinces  me — I  will 
thank  you  to  hint  this  to  M'  Hammond,  in  the  Event  of  my 
pr-^sent  allowance  being  less  than  Sir  John  Temples.  I  do  not 
under  the  present  circumstances  of  the  Nation  wish  it  more. 
But  rest  assured  my  annual  expenses  exceed  £2200  Sterling 
per  annum ;  and  yet  economy  presides  in  my  family. — 

Mr,  Jefferson  as  you  will  perceive  is  President  —  The  federal 
party,  I  mean  tlie  moderate  ones  are  much  pleased  with  his 
Speech,  and  augur  a  happy  administration. — I  wish  their  ex- 
pectations may  be  realized  —  The  better  informed  consider  it 
vox  et  preteria  nihil — 


TO  DANIEL  COXE,  LONDON. 

New  York  4*^  February  1802. 
My  dear  Sir 

By  the  Brothers  I  replied  to  your  favor  of  the  14""  of  October. 
I  at  the  same  time  informed  you,  that  I  had  consulted  with  all 
my  Law  friends  in  this  City,  who  agreed  in  opinion  with  me, 
that  there  was  not  the  most  remote  possibility  of  any  success  to 
an  application  of  M"  Beverley  Robinson  for  a  compensation 
for  her  right  of  Dower  in  Lands  in  this  State ;  or  for  lands 
which  she  owned  in  fee. —  M'*  Robinson,  as  well  as  many  other 
feme  coverts  were  attainted  with  their  Husbands  in  the  Act  of 
this  State  passed  in  1776,'  and  the  disposition  of  the  Legisla- 
ture has  ever  been  not  to  open  a  door  for  claims  under  that 
Act. —  In  addition  to  this  M"  Kempes  and  M"  Margaret  De 
Lauceys  present  claims  (with  those  of  many  others)  have  so 
alarined  the  people  of  this  State,  as  to  render  it  a  subject  wor- 
thy of  notice  in  the  Governors  speech  at  the  opening  of  the 


1  The  act  of  October  22,  1779,  is 
intended.  Mrs.  Beverly  Robinson, 
her  sister  Mrs.  Roger  Morris,  and 
Mrs.  Inglis, —  wife  of  the  then  rector 
of  Trinity  Church, —  were  attainted 


under  this  act.  This  is  believed  to 
be  the  only  case,  here  or  in  England, 
in  which  women  were  attainted  of 
high  treason,  and  banished  and 
threatened  with  d^ath. 


% 


h 


f  If 


'ii 


138 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


present  Session  of  the  Legislature.^  What  the  event  will  be  I 
dare  not  predict  —  I  hope  favorable,  but  both  M"  Kempes  and 
M"  De  Laneeys  Council  advise  a  composition  at  almost  any 
rate  rather  than  proceeding  with  our  suits  at  Law  and  now  at 
Issue.  They  apprehend  that  when  these  causes  are  brought  up 
before  the  Court  of  Errors  that  the  Senate  will  reverse  the 
Judgement  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  declare  that  a  Wife  of 
an  attainted  person  cannot  recover  her  Dower.  We  have  also 
ascertained  that  the  Attorney  General  has  Legislative  orders 
to  throw  every  possible  obstacle  in  the  way,  and  to  contend 
inch  by  inch  with  us. —  I  hope  before  I  leave  this,  which  will  be 
by  the  next  Packet,  that  something  will  be  done  by  the  Legis- 
lature, and  on  reasonable  principles.  I  send  you  the  paper 
containing  the  Governors  Speech.  Have  the  goodness  to  com- 
municate the  purport  of  this  to  your  amiable  Sister.  I  would 
write  her  by  this  Packet,  but  I  dread  the  task,  as  I  should  be 
under  the  necessity  of  mentioning  the  loss  of  my  worthy 
friend  Captain  Church.  Whose  memory  will  ever  be  dear  to 
many  of  his  friends  in  America,  as  well  as  in  Great  Britain. 


TO   MRS.   MARGARET   DE    LANCEY. 

New  York  6"  February  1802. 
My  dear  Madam 

By  the  advice  of  your  Council  M''  Harrison  and  General 
Hamilton  (as  mentioned  in  my  letter  to  you  of  the  4"'  of  Dec"") 
M""  Colden  proceeds  for  Albany  to  make  one  more  attempt  for 
an  amicable  composition  with  the  Legislature  of  this  Citate 


1  "  The  claims  of  dower  by  wid- 
ows of  attainted  persons  have  as- 
sumed so  serious  an  aspect,  that  the 
commissioners  appointed  by  law  for 
their  liquidation  and  settlement, 
deemed  it  expedient  at  the  last  ses- 
sion to  submit  them  to  the  decision 
of  the  legislature ;  and  as  nothing 
was  definitely  arranged  at  that  pe- 
riod, a  great  number  of  suits  have 


been  commenced  against  persons 
deriving  title  from  the  state.  While 
the  honor  of  the  state  demands  that 
all  proper  claims  should  be  satisfied, 
an  attention  to  public  economy 
equally  requires  that  the  treasury 
should  be  guarded  against  improper 
or  fraudulent  demands."  Governor 
Clinton's  speech,  January  26,  1802. 


I 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


139 


m 


now  sitting  in  that  City ;  previous  to  our  inquiring  the  amount 
of  your  Dower  in  the  trial  of  the  issues  now  joined  between 
you,  and  several  of  the  tenants. —  Inclosed  is  the  Governor's 
speech  at  the  opening  of  the  session —  ;  in  which  he  makes  spe- 
cific remarks  on  the  claims  and  suits  now  made  and  depending 
by  widows  of  attainted  persons  for  lands  in  this  State.  It  is 
impossible  from  the  mode  in  which  he  expressed  himself  to 
ascertain  whether  it  is  his  opinion  that  an  equitable  allowance 
should  be  made  in  extinguishing  the  claims  for  dower.  Gen- 
tlemen in  this  place  think  he  is  inclined  to  an  opposite  line  of 
conduct  —  M' Golden  however  proceeds  with  every  necessary 
instruction,  and  letters  to  many  of  the  leading  members  on 
both  sides  in  the  house. — 

I  lament  that  M'  Brockholst  Livingston^  has  vacate  I  uis 
seat,  by  accepting  the  appointment  of  Judge  in  the  Supreme 
Court,  as  he  had  promised  me  his  Interest  iv;  obtaining  you 
justice — He  will  however  deliver  his  sentiments  to  the  lead- 
ing Members  and  recommends  their  making  reasonable  com- 
pensation — 

I  hope  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  write  you  in  a  few  weeks 
that  your  business  is  terminated  satisfactorily,  but  I  cannot 
say  I  am  sanguine  in  my  expectations. — 


1802. 


persons 

,    While 

ands  that 

satisfied, 

economy 

treasury 

improper 

Governor 

26,  1802. 


A 


m 


Vi ,  ,■ 


FROM   MR.  GOLDEN. 

Albany  17  February,  1802. 
My  dear  Sir 

On  iiiy  arrival  at  this  place  I  found  that  the  Legislature  had 
anticipated  the  application  I  was  about  to  make  to  them,  and 
have  by  a  resolution  originating  with  Mr.  De  Witt  Clinton 
in  the  Senate  almost  shut  out  every  hope  of  compromising 
with  the  State  on  any  Terms  whatever  —  By  the  resolution 
I  have  mentioned  the  Senate  have  directed  the  Attorney 
General  to  bring  before  them  by  writ  of  error  any  judg- 

1  Appointed  this  year  a  Judge  of    Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  New- York  Supreme  Court.    In    the  United  States. 
1807  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 


m 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


i  i 


u 


<  i 


i 


i: 


!i 


i      I 


•/i 


\i 


ment  that  may  be  pronounced  in  favor  of  the  claims  of  Wid- 
ows.—  We  may  say  that  Mr,  Clinton  was  lost  to  all  kind  of 
delicacy  wlien  by  an  order  of  this  sort  he  shewed  his  anxiety 
to  pass  judgement  on  the  point  to  be  brought  before  him — We 
maj'-  say  that  this  resolution  discovers  an  eagerness  very  incon- 
sistent with  the  dignity  of  a  Senate,  and  with  an  intention  to 
be  upright  and  impartial  judges  —  Mr.  Clinton  might  be  told 
that  by  resisting  the  judgement  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  favor 
of  the  Widows  he  was  persecuting  the  inocent  for  the  sake  of 
his  ambition,  and  to  purchase  an  infamous  popularity  by  the 
few  thousand  dollars  that  may  be  saved  to  the  state  thro  his 
machinations  —  But  all  those  reproaches  would  be  in  vain.  I 
think  that  Mr.  Clinton  and  the  majority  of  both  houses  which 
he  governs  absolutely,  are  men  utterly  void  of  feeling  and 
honor  —  Is  it  right?  or  wrong  ?  are  questions  that  never  occur 
to  them  in  the  consideration  of  a  measure  —  when  it  is  ascer- 
tained whether  it  will  be  popular  or  otherwise,  it  is  deter- 
mined— 

Finding  that  the  board  would  not  move  a  step  in  the  busi- 
ness of  Mrs.  De  Lancy  I  yesterday  presented  a  memorial  to 
the  house  of  assembly — In  which  I  stated  that  she  was  desirous 
of  compromising  with  the  State  on  terms  the  most  favorable  to 
them,  and  I  endeavored  to  rouse  the  sympathy  &  justice  of  the 
house  and  a  concern  for  the  honor  and  reputation  of  the  na- 
tion, as  well  as  of  the  individual  members  who  compose  its 
Legislature  —  Yesterday,  altho  it  was  introduced  in  a  very 
handsome  manner  by  my  friend  Mr.  Henry,  nothing  was  done 
with  this.  What  will  be  its  fate  it  is  difficult  to  say  but  I 
think  there  is  hardly  anything  to  be  hoped  — 

I  am  &c  Cadwallader  D.  Colden. 


FROM   MK.  COLDEN. 

Albany  17tb.  February  1802. 
My  dear  Sir:  — 

Since  I  wrote  to  you  yesterday  the  business  that  I  am  upon 
I  think  wears  a  more  favorable  aspect — I  have  had  an  oppor- 


M 


'd 


:f. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1799-1802 


141 


tunity  of  conversing  with  most  of  the  influential  members  in 
the  Legishiture  on  eitlier  side  and  hope  I  have  made  an  im- 
pression on  their  minds  propitious  to  oiir  cause — A  commit- 
tee has  been  ai)pointed  before  wliieh  I  have  appeared  and 
I  am  again  to  meet  them  to-morrow  —  And  I  have  reason  to 
hope  that  tliey  will  make  a  report  tnore  favorable  than  I  a  few 
days  since  expected  to  obtain  —  Tho  it  will  by  no  means  meet 
the  justice  of  the  claim  —  If  such  a  report  should  be  made,  and 
should  meet  with  serious  opposition  in  the  liouse,  I  liave  in- 
structed my  friends  to  ask  permission  for  the  claimants  to  be 
heard  by  counsel  at  the  Bar. 

Notwithstanding  all  I  have  said  you  must  not  be  too  san- 
guine as  to  my  success  —  If  you  conkl  know  of  what  strange 
materials  our  present  honorable  legislature  is  composed  you 
w'!  easily  believe  that  it  is  difficult  to  cahiulate  upon  their 
acts  —  Yet  I  verily  believe  that  imless  the  Widows  are  success- 
ful in  this  mode,  they  can  not  expect  it  by  other  means.  For 
the  resolution  of  the  Senate  which  I  mentioned  to  you  yester- 
day is  too  sure  an  evidence  of  the  spirit  with  which  the  Court 
of  Errors  would  hear  their  cause. 


FEOM   MR.  GOLDEN. 


jDEN. 


1802. 

n  upon 
oppor- 


1 

4: 


New  York  March  25th,  1802. 
Dear  Sir: 

Agreeably  to  your  request  I  proceed  to  give  you  some  ac- 
count of  what  I  have  been  doing  at  Albany  in  relation  to  the 
claims  of  Mrs.  Kempe  and  Mrs.  Delancy. 

The  releases  which  I  herewith  send  you  to  be  executed  by 
Mrs.  Kempe  will  sufficiently  explain  the  bargain,  I  have  made 
in  her  belialf  with  the  State.  It  is  to  be  undei-stood  however, 
that  Mrs.  Kempe  has  it  entirely  in  her  power  to  agree  to  this 
offer  on  the  part  of  the  State,  or  not  as  she  may  think  proper. 
If  she  does  not  agree  the  various  suits  that  have  been  in- 
stituted may  be  prosecuted  —  It  must  also  be  remembered  that 
the  costs  of  these  suits  are  to  be  paid  out  of  the  sum  men- 
tioned in  the  release. 


■-wr 


142 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


:    1 


it 
1 1 


By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  mentioned  in  the  paper 
entitled  a  Schedule  of  the  real  estate  of  the  late  John  Taber 
Kempe,  Esquire  are  situated  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 

Taking  this  into  consideration  and  also  the  disposition  of 
our  present  rulers  I  think  Mrs.  Kempe  certainly  ought  to  ac- 
cept this  sum.  Altho  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that  it  is  not 
more  than  i^  of  the  real  value  of  her  dower.' 

As  to  Mrs.  Delancy's  affairs  I  wish  the  information  I  have  to 
give  you  was  more  satisfactory  than  what  I  can  now  offer  you. 

It  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to  repeat  a  detail  of  the  cir- 
cumstances that  occurred  last  winter.  It  will  be  sufficient  to 
say  that  what  was  then  done  satisfied  us  that  all  ai^plication 
to  the  board  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  Extinguishing  Claims 
of  this  sort  would  be  in  vain.  They  have  said  that  the  amount 
Mrs.  Delancy  demanded  was  far  beyond  what  the  legislature 
had  in  view,  when  the  power  of  this  board  was  delegated  And 
therefore  they  refused  to  act  and  referred  us  to  the  legislature. 
Of  course  all  my  applications  this  winter  have  been  to  that 
body.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  soon  after  my  arrival  in  Al- 
bany to  find  a  resolution  brought  forward  in  the  Senate  re- 
quiring the  Attorney  General  to  bring  before  the  Court  of 
Errors  all  judgments  that  had  been  or  should  be  rendered  in 
favor  of  the  right  of  Dower  of  the  widows  of  persons  whose 
estates  had  been  confiscated.  You  know  the  Court  of  Errors 
is  composed  of  the  very  persons  who  as  Senators  passed  this 
resolution.  And  it  is  a  sufficient  indication  of  what  would  be 
the  event  of  the  Causes  which  they  manifest  such  a  desire  to 
have  before  them. 

I  presented  a  memorial  to  the  Assembly  which  was  com- 
mitted to  three  Gentlemen  two  of  them  leaders  of  the  political 
parties  in  the  Legislature.  After  an  attendance  on  this  Com- 
mittee of  more  than  four  weeks,  in  which  time  I  made  it  a 
point  to  meet  them  or  at  least  to  see  one  of  them  every  day,  I 
was,  after  an  absence  from  my  office  and  family  so  much 
longer  than  I  expected  when  I  left  them,  obliged  to  return  be- 

1  The  sum  for  which  Mrs.  Kempe's  claims  were  released,  after  deducting 
all  counsel  fees  and  expenses,  amounted  to  $5713.39. 


Wmf 


M 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1790-1802 


143 


paper 
Taber 

ion  of 
to  ac- 
is  not 

lave  to 
31*  you. 
;he  cir- 
ient  to 
ioation 
Claims 
imount 
Lslature 
ed  And 
slatiive. 
to  that 
il  in  Al- 
nate  re- 
;^ourt  of 
iered  in 
s  whose 
f  Errors 

;ed  this 
should  be 

esire  to 

as  corn- 
political 
lis  Com- 
ade  it  a 
'V  day,  I 
so  much 
jturn  be- 

deducting 


fore  I  could  bring  thera  to  make  any  report  upon  the  subject. 
I  however  had  made  them  several  propositions  and  obtained  a 
promise  that  they  would  report  in  a  few  days. 

I  left  the  business  in  charge  of  Mr.  Emott  who  is  a  partner 
of  Mr.  Henry  one  of  the  Committee.  I  am  convinced  Mr. 
Emott  will  attend  to  the  business.  And  I  liope  I  shall  hear 
from  him  before  you  leave  us. 

I  am  &G.  Cadwallader  D.  Colden.i 


TO   LORD   HAWKESBURY. 

New  York  2d  April,  1802. 
My  Lord, 

By  the  Packet  which  arrived  last  Evening  I  was  honored 
with  yom-  Loi-dsliips  letter  of  the  13tli  of  February,  in  which 
you  request  my  opinion,  whether  in  the  present  state  of  the 
commercial  intercourse  between  His  Majestys  Dominions  and 
the  United  States,  it  is  expedient  to  make  a  permanent  Estab- 
lishment of  a  Vice  Consulship  at  New  Port  in  the  State  of 
Rhode  Island. — 

Rhode  Island  is  the  second  smallest  state  in  the  Union,  pos- 
sessed of  but  few  seaports,  and  carrying  on  a  very  limited 
Coznmerce  when  compared  with  most  of  the  other  States ;  the 
appointment  therefore  of  a  Vice  Consul  to  that  State  appears 
to  me  far  from  necessary  taking  the  official  duty  simply  into 
consideration.     The  Eastern  part  of  the  State  of  Connecticut, 


1  Here  wo  take  leave  of  Mrs.  De 
Lancey  and  her  claims.  On  April  5, 
1802,  the  Assembly  passed  a  resolu- 
tion in  favor  of  a  compromise  ;  and 
as  Barclay  was  then  on  the  point  of 
sailing  for  England,  he  procured  a 
letter  from  Harison  advising  a  set- 
tlement. While  in  England  Barclay 
succeeded  in  persuading  Mrs.  De 
Lancey  to  accept  a  moderate  sum, 
and  on  January  31,  1803,  while  he 
was  still  abroad,  $34,000  was  offered. 


This  amount  was  fixed  by  a  report 
of  tlie  Co!nmissioners, —  the  Comp- 
troller, Attorney-General,  and  Sur- 
veyor-General of  the  State, —  and 
was  duly  approved  by  the  Governor. 
Mrs.  De  Lancey  gave  a  release  of  all 
her  claims  and  accepted  the  money, 
though  not  without  vigorous  grumb- 
ling at  Mr.  Coldcn's  bill,  which  was 
only  paid  after  the  matter  had  been 
submitted  to  the  arbitration  of  Gen- 
eral Hamilton  and  Mr.  Harison. 


i 


^^■. 


I 


ill 


144 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


;Mi 


would  1)e  a  pivfcnible  situation  for  the  rcsidonco  of  a  Vice  Con- 
sul, within  the  liimits  of  whose  Jurisdiction  Rhode  Island  may 
be  included — New  Loudon  should  ])e  tlie  jdace  of  hisresideiuu', 
a  central  position  in  tlie  State,  distant  only  sixty  miles  from 
Providence  in  Rhode  Island,  and  one  liundred  and  forty  from 
this  City. —  I  cannot  however  my  Lord  add  that  I  even  con- 
sider a  consular  ap[)ointment  necessary  for  Connecticut. —  In 
a  political  ])oint  of  view  there  can  be  no  question,  but  that 
Consuls  or  Vice  (-onsuls  in  both  these  States,  if  Men  of  Pru- 
dence and  engaging  manner,  might  forward  His  Majestys  In- 
terests, and  predispose  the  Inhabitants  in  favor  of  the  British 
Government.  In  this  point  of  view  if  (mly  one  Vice  Consul 
is  appointed,  Rhode  Island  is  the  State,  and  New  Port  the 
place  for  his  residence  —  During  th(^. Summer  Season  New 
Port  is  crowded  with  the  most  fasliionable  influential  Charac- 
ters from  Maryland  to  ( leorgia,  who  go  thitlier  for  the  recov- 
ery of  their  health  or  to  avoid  the  prevailing  summer  epidem- 
ics of  a  southern  climate.  A  consul  therefore  residen..  in  New 
Port  would  have  an  o[)portimity  of  becoming  acquai  itcd  with 
the  first  Characters  in  America  :  and  by  gaining  on  their  c(m- 
fldence  naturally  lead  them  to  think  favorably  of  the  country 
he  represents  — 


I' 


I 


IMi    I 


m 


Mi: 


CHAPTER  IV 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1803-1804 


ABOUT  April  10,  1802,  Colonel  Barclay,  with  his 
J\.  son  Do  Lancey,  embarked  on  the  packet  for 
England,  touched  doubtless  at  Halifax,  and  in  due 
season  reached  his  destination.  It  was  his  first  visit  to 
England,  and  it  must  have  been  full  of  pleasure  and 
interest.  He  had  many  old  friends  and  connections 
among  the  American  loyalists  who  still  survived;  he 
was  favorably  known  to  the  official  world;  and  he  mot 
with  a  warm  welcome  from  his  distant  relatives,  the 
Barclays  of  the  well-known  banking  and  brewing  firms 
in  London.  Unfortunately  his  correspondence  for  this 
period  has  not  been  preserved,  but  we  get  one  glimpse 
of  him  through  the  official  correspondence  of  the  Amer- 
ican minister.  Madison,  writing  to  Rufus  King  in 
June,  1802,  had  instructed  him  to  endeavor  to  nego- 
tiate a  treaty  for  settling  the  remaining  questions  rela- 
tive to  the  boundary  between  the  two  nations,  and 
especially  those  in  regard  to  the  islands  in  the  Bay  of 
Passamaquoddy.  On  February  28,  1803,  King  wrote 
from  London  that  by  Lord  Hawkesbury's  desire  ho  had 
conferred  with  Colonel  Barclay  on  the  subject,  and  as 
the  result  of  the  conversation  saw  nothing  to  impede  a 
settlement.' 

On  April  4,  1803,  Barclay  left  London,  and  on  May 
21,  after  "  an  ordinary  passage  of  six  weeks,"  reached 


4 


10 


1  Amer.  State  Papers,  For.  Rel.,  Vol.  II,  p.  590. 
145 


err 


140 


CORRKHPONDENOE  OP  THOMAS  RARCTAY 


J" 

'M'l 


II': 


% 


'V\ 


^Hl 


New-York,  and  found  his  wife  and  such  of  his  chil- 
dren as  were  at  home  all  in  good  health.  But  they 
were  anxiously  awaiting  the  return  of  Beverley,  the 
fourth  son,  who  had  gone  South  to  avoid  the  rigors  of 
a  Now- York  winter.  He  had  developed  during  the  jire- 
vious  year  serious  symptoms  of  a  pulmonary  comi)laint, 
and  had  now  been  spending  several  months  in  South 
Carolina, —  probably  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Izai'd.  The 
change  of  (jlimate  had,  however,  come  too  late.  On 
June  5th  he  arrived  in  New- York  in  the  last  stages  of 
consumption,  and  died  on  the  loth  of  the  same  month, 
being  then  not  much  more  than  sixteen  years  of  age. 
"  He  was,"  said  Barclay,  writing  to  a  friend,  "  one  of 
the  most  amiable  and  promising  of  children,  who  never 
had  rendered  censure  or  admonition  necessary,  and 
whose  application  to  his  studies,  added  to  more  than 
ordinary  natural  abilities,  gave  me  every  reason  to 
hope  he  would  have  made  a  distinguished  literary 
character.  You  who  are  a  Parent  and  blessed  as  I  am 
with  the  best  and  most  lovely  of  Children  can  feel  for 
Mrs.  Barclay  and  myself  under  this  severe  affliction." 
The  threatening  aspect  of  the  relations  between 
England  and  the  United  States,  however,  soon  came 
to  divert  Barclay's  thoughts  and  claim  his  most  seri- 
ous attention.  On  May  16,  while  he  was  still  at  sea, 
war  had  again  been  declared  between  England  and 
France,  and  Napoleon  at  once  began  his  preparations 
for  an  invasion  of  England.  The  war  was,  however, 
mainly  carried  on  at  sea,  and  especially  in  the  West 
Indies,  where  St.  Lucie,  Tobago,  and  Dutch  Gruiana 
were  taken  by  the  British  forces,  and  the  French 
islands  were  blockaded.  The  export  of  French  sugars 
and  other  colonial  products  was  a  trade  which  the  Brit- 
ish government  particularly  sought  to  break  up ;  and 


'■.),' 


'''ti 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    18();{-1H04 


147 


mgars 
Brit- 
;  and 


^M 


their  courts  held  that  such  goods,  if  found  in  transit  on 
a  neutral  ship,  rendered  tlie  vessel  as  well  as  the  cargo 
liable  to  condemnation.  British  scjuadrons  were  there- 
fore koi)t  constantly  cruising  off  the  coast  from  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  to  the  capes  of  Virginia,  searching  one 
American  vessel  after  another  in  the  effoi't  to  find 
some  pretext  for  putting  a  prize  crow  aboard  and  or- 
dering her  off  to  the  Admiralty  Court  at  Halifax. 
Above  all,  the  impressment  of  seamen  went  on  more 
vigorously  than  ever. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  post  of  British  Con- 
sul in  New- York  became  every  day  more  delicate  and 
inii)ortant.  Hardly  an  American  vessel  came  in  but 
had  been  searched  by  an  English  frigate,  and  had  had 
men  taken  from  her  decks.  On  the  other  hand,  every 
British  ship  that  entered  the  harbor  lost  men  by  deser- 
tion. The  great  majority  of  the  population  openly 
sympathized  with  the  French  cause,  and  the  author- 
ities made  no  pretense  of  trying  to  assist  in  recovering 
deserters.  As  yet  there  was  no  open  outbreak ;  but 
with  every  English  frigate  that  took  up  her  station  off 
the  Hook, — or,  worse  still,  that  came  up  to  the  Nar- 
rows,— there  was  the  hourly  chance  of  some  provoking 
insult  or  reckless  act  of  violence,  that  might  bring 
about  an  actual  collision. 

Jerome  Bonaparte's  presence  in  the  United  States 
added  another  object  for  the  watchfulness  of  the  Eng- 
lish naval  force,  and  was  another  source  of  anxiety  to 
the  British  Consul. 

How  Barclay  steered  his  difficult  course  in  these 
troubled  times  may  be  judged  from  the  letters  which 
follow. 

He  continued  to  live  in  New- York  ;  but  from  August 
20  to  October  31,  1803,  the  prevalence  of  yellow  fever 


S 

'le; 


m 


148 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


lit 


1 


.      I     I   ■ 
!>    tl   i 


d  !K 


compelled  him  to  remove  with  his  family  to  Westches- 
ter. On  the  very  day  that  the  family  removed  to  the 
country,  Susan,  the  third  daughter,  was  married  at  St. 
Mark's  Church  to  Peter  Gerard  Stuy vesant, —  a  young 
gentleman  of  excellent  family  and  a  genteel  fortune.' 


TO  VICE-ADMIRAL   SIR  ANDREW   MITCHELL. 


New  York  22  July,  1803. 
{Prii'ate.) 

It  is  with  re<?ret  that  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  informing 
you  that  the  Pilots  of  New  York  are  to  a  man  inclined  rather 
to  favor  the  freneh,  than  the  English,  being  of  the  description 
termed  in  the  Politics  of  America,  democrats  and  not  federal- 
ists. I  mention  this  that  you  may  caution  the  officers  under 
your  command  in  the  event  of  their, being  off  this  place  not  to 
give  credit  to  anything  they  may  say,  but  to  act  from  their 
own  Judgment  and  discretion. —  There  is  a  man  of  the  name 
of  Daniel,  lately  dismissed  the  Service  of  Pilot,  under  the  pre- 
tence of  his  Having  run  the  American  Frigate  Boston  on 
Shore,  but  in  reality  because  he  was  a  federalist  and  much  at- 
tached to  our  Government  —  He  was  the  oldest  and  best  Pilot 
in  New  York,  and  I  think  may  be  of  Service  if  employed  to 
obtain  private  information  by  associating  with  the  Pilots  — 
The  Spanish  Brig  and  French  Ship  which  arrived  here  at  the 
time  the  Lilly  was  off  the  Hook,  have  sold  their  Cargoes  in 
this  City,  and  the  Ship  is  up  for  sale  —  I  have  not  yet  been 
able  to  ascertain  whether  the  other  French  Ship  will  after 
she  is  repaired  take  in  her  cargo  and  proceed  for  France.  Of 
this  I  will  give  you  the  earliest  notice  — 

Several  Seamen  have  engaged  with  me  to  join  your  Squad- 

1  He  was  directly  descended  from  Htoii,  the  first  Lord  of  the  Manor, 

the  last  of  the  Dutch  governors ;  aud  Mr.  Htuyvesant  was  born  in  1778, 

his  mother  was  Margaret  Livingston,  graduated  at  Columbia  College   in 

a  granddaughter  of  Robert  Living-  1794,  aud  died  without  issue  in  1847. 


^!| 


if  II 


1:1 
1 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


149 


tches- 
to  the 
at  St. 
young 
rtune.' 


ron,  and  if  they  continue  of  the  same  mind  tliey  sliall  be  sent 
in  the  Earl  of  Leicester  Packet  —  I  have  desired  Captain 
Sharpe  of  the  Packet  to  send  his  Boatswain  and  a  few  good 
men  on  shore  to  endeavor  to  recruit  Seamen. 


1803. 


.forming 
h1  rather 
scription 
i  f  ederal- 
srs  under 
ice  not  to 
•om  their 
the  name 
r  the  pre- 
ostou  on 
much  at- 
test Pilot 
ployed  to 
Pilots  — 
lere  at  the 
iirgoes  in 
yet  been 
[will  after 
lance.     Of 

lir  Squad- 

tlie  Manor. 
[vn  in  1778, 
College  in 
ssue  in  1847. 


1 


i 


m 

1 


TO   LORD   HAWKESBURY. 

New  York  Gi)'"  Jiily,  1803. 
My  Lord. 

I  liave  reciuved  correct  information  of  .Jerome  Bonaparte 
having  arrived  fi-om  the  West  Indies  to  these  States,  and  that 
he  was  in  Baltimore  on  the  27"'  Instar.t;  his  wish  is  to  get  to 
P^rance;  he  travels  under  an  assumed  name,  and  is  very  appre- 
hensive of  being  taken  by  some  of  our  ships  of  War  in  his  way 
home. —  He  has  talked  of  coming  on  from  Baltimore  to  this  city 
in  order  to  embark ;  but  the  well  known  Commodore  Barney  ' 
having  taken  him  to  his  house  in  Baltimore,  it  is  suspected 
that  he  will  persuade  liim  to  take  his  passage^  fi'oni  tlience ; 
at  all  Events  it  is  uncertain  from  what  port  he  may  sail. — 

I  take  the  Liberty  to  give  your  Lordship  a  description  of 
him  and  his  companions  and  attendant,  that  you  may  if  you 
think  it  of  moment  have  it  communicated  to  the  offici^rs  of  the 
Navy  should  they  fall  into  their  hands. —  Jerome  Bonaparte 
appears  to  be  from  twenty  to  twenty  thre(f  years  of  age,-  of  a 
slender  make  and  sallow  complexion,  about  5  feet  (5  or  7  Indies 
in  height. —  Flis  hair  is  cropped  l)lack  and  smooth,  but  at  times 
he  adds  a  que  aiul  powder.  There  are  two  Gentlemen  who 
travel  witli  him.  The  first  about  -30  years  of  age,  dark  con^- 
plexion,  sliort  curly  dark  liair,  marked  a  little  with  the  small 
pox  and  has  bad  upper  teeth,  in  height  about  5  feet  9  or  5-10. 
The  second  is  of  the  same  stature  fair  conqih'xion  thick,  bushy, 
sandy  or  reddish  hair,  marked  also  a  little  witli  the  small  i)ox  ; 

1  Joslmii  Barney  was  born  in  1759,  lisli  of  i>iraey.     From  1794  to  1800  he 

and  (lied  in   1818.     He  was  in  the  served  in  tlie  Freiidi  Navy. 

United  States  Naval  Service  duriiifj  '^  He  was  born  N,,, .  .iiber  15,  1784, 

the  Revolution,  was  at  times  a  pri-  and  was  therefore  not  quite  nineteen 

vateer,  and  was  accused  by  the  Eng-  years  old. 

lOA 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


1 

ii 

[ 
1 

i 
i 

I 

|fi! 

M 

l1 

has  on  his  left  ear  a  remarkable  mole,  immediately  where  an 
ear  is  perforated  for  a  ring. —  They  pass  under  feigned  names. 
Jerome  Bonaparte  —  assumes  that  of  Dalbert,  or  D'Albert. 
The  first  described  of  his  Companions  calls  himself  Armand, 
and.  the  other  is  styled  Alexander.  I  should  not  however  be 
surprized  if  they  again  changed  their  names.  A  Servant  of 
about  24  years,  5  feet  8  or  9  Inches  attends  them,  his  com- 
plexion and  hair  dark,  the  latter  long  and  worn  in  a  que.  He 
wears  Earrings.^ 

Should  they  come  to  this  City,  I  will  exert  every  nerve  to 
find  out  the  precise  time  of  their  sailing,  and  lay  a  plan  to 
have  them  taken. —  The  above  information  shall  be  forwarded 
to  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell  at  Halifax. 


'•■a 
■  I'M 


II 


■HI 


TO   ME.  HAMMOND. 


<ll      ' 


n  ,ii 


!f!l! 


Sir. 


New  York  3'  October,  1803. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  lay  before  you  the  following  statement 
for  the  information  of  Lord  Hawkesburv,  and  in  the  event  of 
his  considering  it  of  suflficient  moment,  that  he  may  transmit 
the  same  to  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty. 

Nathan  Haley  an  American  citizen, —  Master  of  the  Ameri- 
can Ship  Hare  sailed  from  London  in  the  year  1797  for  New 
York;  but  instead  of  proceeding  for  that  place,  he  fraudu- 
lently carried  the  Ship  into  Dieppe,  in  the  hope  of  having  her 
condemned  to  him  as  a  prize,  he  being  at  that  time  invested 
with  a  commission  in  the  French  Service.  The  Cargo  and 
probably  the  Ship  was  insured  in  London,  and  there  is  reason 
to  suppose  M'  Isaac  Classon  the  owner  of  the  Ship  was  not  ig- 
norant of  Haleys  intention.  The  Underwriters  in  Loudon 
have  long  since  paid  the  amount  assured. 

1  Jerome  at  this  time  had  with  him  young  man  named  Rewbel,  who  af- 

M.  Moyronnet,  a  Lieutenant  in  the  terward  rose  to  the  rank  of  General 

French  Navy;  a  private  secretary,  in  the  French  Army.     See  Ducasse, 

M.  Le  Camus  ;  a  physician  ;  and  a  Les  Rois  Fr^res  de  Napoleon  I. 


m 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1803-1804 


151 


re  an 
lines. 
Lbert. 
[land, 
er  be 
mt  of 
com- 
i.    He 

rve  to 
Ian  to 
warded 


1803. 

atement 
3veut  of 
ransuiit 

Anieri- 

:or  New 

fraiidu- 

ing  her 

uvested 

|rgo  and 

Is  reason 

|s  not  ig- 

London 


1,  who  af- 
:)f  General 
Ducasse, 
l6on  L 


Haley  is  now  on  the  point  of  sailing  in  a  small  ship  named 
the  Brutus ;  her  description  is  inclosed,  and  it  is  generally  sup- 
posed with  a  view  to  capture  British  merchant  ships  —  It  is 
given  out  that  she  is  bound  for  the  West  Indies,  but  if  Tom 
Paine  goes  a  Passenger  with  him,  I  am  rather  apt  to  think 
they  will  proceed  to  Prance,  and  after  landing  Pa,ine,  that 
Haley  will  cruize  on  the  English  coast  to  be  near  a  port  to 
send  his  Prizes.  From  the  construction  of  this  Ship,  Haley  can 
have  no  other  object  in  view,  because  as  a  Merchant  vessel, 
she  carries  very  little,  and  her  expenses  are  great.  Haley  is  a 
Native  of  Stonington  Town  in  Connecticut.  His  person  can 
easily  be  identified  here  and  in  London,  and  the  original  letter 
from  him  to  Isaac  Classon  (a  copy  whereof  I  have  the  Honor 
to  inclose)  is  in  the  possession  of  the  Underwriters  at  Lloyds, 
thoir  attornies,  or  the  agents  of  the  assured  on  that  Ship  and 
Cargo,  as  it  was  sent  home  to  enable  the  assured  to  recover 
from  the  Underwriters. —  The  ship  is  supposed  to  be  Nathan 
Haleys  property,  altho'  the  Sea  letter  is  taken  out  in  his  Bro- 
thers name.  It  is  not  yet  ascertained  whether  Haley  will 
command  her  or  not,  but  he  will  assuredly  go  in  her. —  Should 
she  be  met  by  any  of  His  Majestys  ships  of  War,  on  examina- 
tion I  trust  she  will  be  found  a  lawful  Prize ;  at  all  Events 
Haley  and  Thomas  Paine  should  be  made  Prisoners  &  com- 
mitted for  Trial.  The  former  as  an  xVmerican  Subject,  having 
a  french  commission  in  1797,  and  by  virtue  of  that  carrying 
British  Property  into  an  Enemies  Port;  the  latter  as  a  British 
Subject  in  the  Service  of  France  in  the  last  War. —  I  have 
communicated  the  preceding  to  Vice  Admirals  Sir  Andrew 
Mitchell,  and  Sir  Thomas  Duckworth. — 

Permit  me  also  to  submit  for  the  consideration  of  His  Maj- 
estys Ministers,  the  propriety  of  proliibiting  during  the  pres- 
ent war  the  exportation  of  Grun  powder  to  these  States  as  an 
article  of  merchandize ;  three  fourths  of  wliich  is  sent  from 
hence  if  not  direct,  at  least  through  the  Danisli  and  Spanish 
Islands  to  the  french  settlements  in  the  West  Indies.  A  Pilot 
boat  is  now  on  the  point  of  sailing  for  Saint  Croix  la'"  med 
with  powder,  with  one  tier  of  flour  over  it. 


.(»» 


152 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


t 


Hi 


I 


TO   VICE-ADMIKAL   SIR   ANDREW   MITCHELL. 

New  York,  5  Nov'  1803. 
Sir. 

I  regret  that  some  of  our  cruizers  are  not  more  often  in  and 
out  of  this  port,  or  rather  oflf  and  on  it,  commnnicating  with 
me.  Col :  Hamilton^  expresses  the  same  Sentiments  with  re- 
specit  to  the  Chesepeak. — The  French  Ship  which  came  into 
the  hook  early  last  Summer  at  the  same  time  with  His  Maj- 
estys  Ship  the  Lillj ,  sailed  about  six  days  since  for  Bourdeaux 
with  a  very  valuable  cargo,  under  an  American  certificate  of 
ownership  as  the  property  of  a  M'  John  Juhel  her  name  the 
Eliza,  Smith  master. —  I  can  prove  the  reverse  of  this,  and  she 
would  have  been  a  safe  prize. — A  schooner  named  the  Niad 
will  sail  the  first  fair  Wind  for  the  West  Indies,  ladened  with 
a  valuable  Cargo,  and  is  to  be  converted  into  a  privateer  on 
her  arrival.  She  is  owned  by  a  person  named  John  Cauchois, 
a  frenchman,  made  a  citizen  of  these  States;  and  a  large 
french  Ship  now  nearly  loaded  will  sail  in  all  next  Week  for 
Bourdeaux  precisely  under  the  same  circumstances.  A  valua- 
ble french  Brig  and  a  Schooner  have  arrived  within  a  few 
days  from  the  West  Indies. 

Jerome  Bonaparte  appears  at  home  in  these  States,  and  it  is 
reported  that  he  is  soon  to  be  married  to  a  Miss  Patterson  a 
Lady  of  Baltimore  with  a  large  fortune.'- — This  City  is  once 
more  restored  to  health.  Had  the  Packet  sailed  on  Wednes- 
day, she  might  have  carried  my  letter  giving  an  account  and 
description  of  the  Eliza  for  Bourdeaux ;  but  M'  Thornton  has 
detained  her  until  this  day,  and  now  the  Wind  is  Easterly  with 
ever;  ..ppearance  of  foul  Weather. 


1  British  Consul  at  Norfolk,  Va. 

2  His  marriage-license  was  issued 
October  29,  1803.  The  ceremony 
was  postponed  in  consequence,  it 
would  seem,  of  the  efforts  of  Pi- 


clion,  the  French  charg(5  d'affaires, 
who  pointed  out  to  all  parties  the 
invalidity  of  the  proposed  marriage 
under  French  law.  Les  Rois  Freres 
de  Napoleon  I",  p.  178. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1803-1804 


15^ 


[affaires, 
a  the 
larriage 
ts  Freres 


TO   CAPTAIN   COCKBURN.^ 

New  York  IS'"  November  1803. 

[Private.) 
Dear  Sir. 

I  am  much  pained  to  learn  of  tlie  desertion  of  eight  of  your 
men,  and  of  the  villainy  of  the  caulker  sent  down  from  hence, 
to  work  on  the  Frigate,  who  shamefully  enticed  them  to  de- 
sert.—  The  Lieutenant  who  came  up  last  Evening  with  your 
Letter  to  the  Mnyor  -  has  reported  to  you  my  opinion  on  this 
subject.  I  am  from  mature  reflection  confirmed  in  what  I  de- 
sired him  to  say  to  you,  towit  that  the  only  Measures  to  be 
adopted  against  the  caulker,  will  be  at  law,  as  a  misdemeanor 
in  attempting  to  interrupt  the  Harmony  which  at  present  ex- 
ists between  the  two  Nations.  Indeed  I  am  not  perfectly  clear 
that  even  an  Lidictmeut  will  lay. —  M'  Harison  the  ablest 
Counsel  in  America,  and  a  Gentleman  much  attached  to  Great 
Britain  coincides  in  opiniou  with  me. — 

The  best  mode  to  ])e  adopted  is  to  state  the  facts  officially  to 
M'  Merry,  and  request  he  will  apply  to  th(^  American  Govern- 
ment for  a  redress  of  this  act  of  sedition  &  Conspiracy  com- 
mitted by  an  American  Citizen  on  board  your  Ship. — When 
you  have  done  this,  you  have  performed  your  duty,  and  it  is 
more  than  probal)le  the  President  will  direct  the  Attorney  Gen- 
eral to  prosecute  this  man;  you  will  be  obliged  to  have  the 
Quarter  Master  here  as  the  Witness. —  I  understand  the  Mayor 
will  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  recover  the  deserters  and 
send  them  to  you. 

My  advice  is  that  you  put  the  Caulker  at  Liberty  without 
Loss  of  time.  Whatever  his  Conduct  may  have  been,  his  de- 
tention can  be  punished. —  The  leaty  of  Amity  Commerce 
&  Navigation  is  silent  on  this  Head. 


1  Afterward  Admiral  Cockburn, 
notorious  for  his  share  in  the  burn- 
ing of  the  public  buildiuga  in  Wash- 
ington. He  wafe  at  tins  time  in 
command  of  H.  M.  S.  Phaeton,  in 
which  Aiitliony  Merry,  the  new  Brit- 
ish minister,  had  come  over,  landing 


at  Norfolk,  Va.,  on  November  9th. 
The  Phaeton  reached  New-York  No- 
vember 10th,  in  need  of  extensive 
repairs. 

'^  De  Witt  Clinton,  who  had  just 
been  appointed  upon  the  resigna- 
tion of  Edward  Livingston. 


w* 


154  CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


TO  VICE-ADMIRAL    SIR   ANDREW    MITCHELL. 


M' 


I 


New  York,  22"  Nov'  1803. 
Sir. 

The  Pi'ince  Adolplius  Packet  brougflit  me  your  respective 
Letters  of  the  12"'  and  17"'  of  October. — Jerome  Bonaparte  ar- 
rived here  on  the  19*''  current,  with  an  intention,  as  it  is  said, 
of  passing  the  Winter;  a  circumstance  far  from  improbable, 
as  he  appears  in  full  pursuit  of  matrimony.  While  at  Balti- 
more he  was  twice  on  the  Eve  of  marriage,  unfortunate  how- 
ever for  him  both  matches  were  broken  off  either  by  the 
Ladies  or  their  friends.  Such  are  the  best  accounts  from 
thence.  Inch)sed  is  an  anecdote  respecting  him.'  — Your  let- 
ter for  M'  Stewart  has  been  forwarded  to  him,  he  not  having 
yet  returned  to  town  owing  to  the  indisposition  of  his  Lady. — 

His  Majestys  Ship  Phaeton  Cap*  Cockburn  which  brought 
out  M""  Merry  to  Norfolk  in  Virginia,  arrived  here  about  ten 
days  since  to  refit.  Cap'  Cockburn  has  lost  fourteen  men  by 
desertion.  Her  destination  is  secret,  at  least  too  much  so  to 
trust  it  in  a  letter  going  by  a  conmion  conveyance.-  She  will 
not  leave  this  under  ten  days,  possibly  double  that  period. — 

Captain  Bradley  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Cambrian  was  off 
this  place,  tlie  last  of  September ;  and  dispatched  a  Pilot  Boat 
to  me  with  a  letter,  requesting  to  be  informed,  whether  the 
report  was  correct  that  the  Andromache  Cap'  Laurie  was  on 
shore  at  Cape  Hatteras.  I  next  day  returned  him  an  answer, 
that  it  never  had  been  credited,  and  from  the  period  elapsed 
without  further  confirmation  could  not  be  true.  Yle  have 
not  any  news  at  pi'esent.  Tlie  French  Ship  covered  by  an 
American  Certificate  sailed  from  Bourdeaux  on  Saturday,  her 
present  name  the  Jane. 

Captain  Bradley  in  the  Evening  of  the  1"  of  October  im- 
pressed from  on  board  the  Ship  American  Packet,  Solomon 

1  No  copy  of  the  "  anecdote  "  was  Britain.  See  the  letter  to  Merry  of 
preserved.  It  may  probably  have  December  9,  1803.  A  part  of  the 
been  a  newspaper  cutting.  money  was  shipped  to  Calcutta  in 

2  He  was  to  carry  out  a  part  of  the  the  Sir  Edward  Hughes,  belonging 
money  payable  by  the  U.  3.  to  Great  to  the  East  India  Company. 


( 


CONSUL-CIENERAL,   1803-1804 


155 


Swain  Master,  a  Seaman  named  Thomas  Cook,  a  Citizen  of  the 
States,  born  at  Shrewsbury  in  New  Jersey,  or  near  that  place. 
He  is  well  known  here  as  a  real  American  Citizen,  and  I  will 
thank  you  to  order  him  to  be  discharged. 


TO   LIEUT.   GENERAL   HUNTER." 

New  York  2"  Dec'  1803. 
Sir. 

Jerome  Bonaparte,  brother  of  the  first  Consul  has  been  some 
months  in  these  States,  particularly  in  Maryland.  He  arrived 
at  New  York  about  the  20'"  Ult"  and  left  it  the  day  before  yes- 
terday professedly  to  return  to  the  Southward.  I  have  how- 
ever been  informed  that  it  is  his  intention  after  passinjjc  a  few 
days  ill  New  Jersey,  privately  to  go  to  Albany,  and  to  com- 
municate with  the  French  in  Canada ;  it  is  also  suggested  that 
he  may  probably  go  to  the  American  Line  near  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  where  a  french  man  named  Rous  lives,  and  who  is  no- 
torious for  aiding  and  harbouring  British  Deserters  from  Can- 
ada. MacLoan  who  some  years  since  was  executed  in  Canada 
was  particularly  intimate  with  Rous.  I  have  given  you  this 
information  to  ennable  you  to  keep  an  attentive  Eye  on  the 
Southern  limits  of  Canada.  The  information  comes  from 
a  Gentleman ;  who  I  am  confident  believes  it,  yet  I  confess  I 
have  ray  Doubts.  Should  I  learn  that  he  has  really  proceeded 
Southward,  you  shall  have  the  earliest  notice ;  on  the  other 
hand,  if  he  arrives  at  Albany  you  will  have  advice  from 
thence. 


ber  im- 
|)loraon 

[erry  of 

of  the 

eutta  iu 

blonging 


TO   MR.  MERRY. 

New  York  9'"  Dec'  1803. 

Sir 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  by  this  days 
mail  of  vour  Letter  N"  2  dated  the  5"'  Current,  enclosing  a  bill 

1  Peter  Hunter,  born  in  Scotland,  174G ;  died  at  Quebec  in  1805.    He  was 
Commander  of  the  Forces  iu  Canada. 


^i 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


II  l!^ 


II  ■ 


;     * 


tt'l 


i 


fit  si<;lit  dated  3''  DeooTiiber  1803  for  oight  linndrod  and  eiglity 
eight  thousand  dolhivs  drawn  by  Th  T  Tucker  Treasurer  of 
the  United  States  on  Jonatliun  Burrell  Esq'  cashier  office  Dis- 
oou:  'i  and  Deposit  New  York  payable  to  your  order,  and  by 
your  endorsement  made  payable  to  me.^  I  have  presented  the 
Bill  for  payment,  and  the  Cashier  is  ready  to  make  it  in  the 
current  Money  of  the  United  States,  whenever  I  may  apply 
for  it.  He  assures  me  however  that  it  will  not  be  in  his  power 
to  convenience  me  with  more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  or 
at  the  utmost  five  hundred  thousand  Dollars.  The  remainder 
must  be  in  British  and  Portugal  —  or  Frencli  and  Spanish 
Gold  by  weight.  At  present  Spanish  milled  Dollars  bear  a 
premiiim  of  one  and  one  half  percent,  but  admitting  that  I 
was  authorized  to  pay  the  same,  I  am  satisfied  tliat  four  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  could  not  be  procured  from  Philadel- 
phia to  Boston  at  that  advance,  and  that  the  instant  it  was 
known  the  premium  would  rise  to  two  and  one  half  percent. — 
The  obtaiii  iig  of  Dollars  therefore  to  the  Northward  of  the 
Chesepeak,  othei*  than  from  the  Bank  is  out  of  the  question. — 
I  have  communi(!ated  not  caly  to  M'  Burrell  the  Cashier  but 
also  to  M'  Ray  the  President  my  disappointment  in  the  infor- 
mation that  the  amount  of  the  Bill  could  not  be  paid  in  Span- 
ish milled  Dollars,  and  I  learn  from  them  that  they  have  not 
received  any  orders  or  directioiis,  mediately  or  immediately 
from  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  on  this  Subject.  I  sus- 
pect an  order,  or  strongly  worded  request  from  M'  Gallatin, 
would  effect  the  purpose  of  a  payment  of  the  whole  in  Dollars. 
— I  shall  thei'efore  wait  your  further  instructions.  The  money 
when  received  shall  be  paid  over  as  you  have  directed,  towit 
four  hundred  and  forty  four  thousand  Dollars  to  Captain 
Cockburn  and  the  remaining  four  hundred  and  forty  four 
thousand  dollars  to  the  Captain  who  may  arrive  here  duly  au- 
thorized to  receive  it. —  Equal  attention  Sir  shall  be  paid  to 
every  other  part  of  the  directions  contained  in  your  letter. — 

1  This  was  the  first  instalment  of  which  fixed  the  indemnity  for  the 

the  £600,000  payable  by  the  U.  S.  to  debts  due  to  British  subjects  they 

Great  Britain  under  Rufus  King's  had  been  prevented  from  collecting 

Convention    of    Janui^.y    8,    1802,  in  consequence  of  the  Revolution. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


157 


The  Cashier  of  the  Bank  acquaints  me  that,  I  may  tell  the 
money  out  at  my  leisure,  and  that  it  may  from  day  to  day  be 
redeposited  in  the  Vaults  of  the  Bank,  the  Boxes  under  my 
Heal,  but  that  all  sums  told  and  so  deposited  must  be  at  the 
risque  of  His  Majesty.  This  I  think  but  reasonable,  I  how- 
ever wish  your  opinion  thereon. 


TO   DE  WITT   CLINTON. 

New  York  29"  Dec'  1803. 
Sir. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
yesterday  respecting  the  Seamen  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Phaeton 
George  Cockburn  Esq'  Commander  now  confined  as  Vagrants 
in  the  Briuewell  of  this  City,  together  with  the  determination 
of  the  Justices  of  the  Police  on  the  subject  of  their  being  de- 
livered up  to  Captain  Cockburn  —  There  would  be  an  end  to 
all  subordination  in  His  Majestys  Navy  if  Captains  were  com- 
pelled to  come  to  such  terms  as  are  proposed  by  the  Justices 
of  Police,  as  a  preliminary  promise  before  the  Seamen  can  be 
delivered  ;  but  tliis  much  Sir  I  can  assure  both  you  and  them 
that  Captain  Cockburn  will  not  bring  the  men  to  a  general 
Court  Martial,  or  have  them  severely  punished  on  board  his 
Ship.  I  trust  therefore  as  the  Men  are  willing  to  join  their 
Ship,  that  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  will  order  them  to  be  de- 
livered to  Captain  Cockburns  order. 


for  the 
sts  they 
^Uecting 
liition. 


Sir. 


TO   WILLIAM   BRAMSTON,  CANTON,  CHINA. 

New  York  27  April  1804. 


M""  Waters  late  Purser  in  the  India  Companys  Ship  Britan- 
nia, but  now  of  the  Sir  Edward  Hughes,  arrived  here  in  De- 
cember last  to  take  money  on  board  for  Calcutta  —  On  my 
complaint  to  him  that  the  Teas  in  America  were  of  very  infe- 
rior quality,  he  tendered  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  you, 


(<' 


158 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


;  I 


III 


assuring  me  that  you  would  have  tho  goodness  to  send  the 
best  to  be  purchased  at  Canton  —  Tlie  letter  from  him  I  take 
the  Liberty  to  inclose,  and  M'  Isaac  Bell  who  goes  from  hence 
in  the  Ship  Triton  as  Super  Cargo  will  deliver  to  you  two 
hundred  and  fifty  Spanish  Dollars — Will  you  do  me  the 
favor  to  apply  one  hundred  or  near  tluit  amount  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  set  of  table  china,  a  list  of  which  is  inclosed  —  The 
remainder  lay  out  in  equal  quantities  of  black  and  '  ■.'•eer>  Teas 
of  the  first  (quality  to  be  purchased  —  I  must  give  you  the  ad- 
ditional trouble  to  intreat  that  a  proportion  of  the  bla(!k  and 
gi'een  tea  to  the  value  of  fifty  dollars  may  be  put  up  in  sepa- 
rate Boxes,  being  for  an  old  Lady  my  particular  friend,  the  re- 
mainder for  my  use  —  Should  the  Cliina  or  tea  amount  to  a 
few  dollars  more,  M'  Bell  has  my  orders  to  pay  it  to  you. — M'' 
Bell  is  a  worthy  honorable  American  (lentleman,  any  atten- 
tion you  may  have  it  in  your  power  to  shew  him  will  be  doing 
me  a  favor. — 

If  I  can  render  you  any  Service  here  it  will  afford  me  plea- 
sure —  I  trust  you  will  pardon  the  Liberty  I  have  taken. 


TO   Mil.  MERRY. 

New  York  12">  May  1804. 
Sir, 

Captain  Douglass  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Boston  left  this  the 
day  before  yesterday  at  noon,  to  go  on  board  his  Ship  at  the 
Hook  and  proceed  to  Norfolk  in  Virginia.  I  this  day  received 
a  letter  from  the  President  of  the  marine  insurance  Company 
in  this  City,  stating  a  French  Cruizer  being  off  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina,  committing  depredations  on  British  and 
American  ships.  Of  this  I  have  notified  Capt.  Douglass.  At 
the  same  time  I  was  informed  of  another  French  Privateer 
being  on  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland  —  By  a  vessel  going  to 
Halifax  I  shall  communicate  the  above  to  Vice  Admiral  Sir 
Andrew  Mitchell.^ 

1  See  letter  to  Mr,  Neilson,  September  7,  1804,  below. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


159 


TO  MR.  MERRY. 

New  York  25  May  1804. 

Sir, 

The  Sybillo  and  Dido  French  Frij^ates  of  44  Gnns  each  ar- 
rived here  hist  Evening  from  Gnudelonpe  and  anchored  at  the 
Qnarantine  Ground  about  nine  miles  behiw  tlie  city  —  I  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  learn  their  Business,  probable  stay  or  fu- 
ture destination.  The  moment  I  am  possessed  of  either  you 
shall  receive  information  — 

I  have  dispatched  a  letter  to  Boston,  to  be  from  thence  for- 
warded to  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell  at  Halifax,  and  will  endeavour 
to  hasten  the  sailing?  of  a  vessel  for  St.  Johns,  New  Brunswick ; 
but  ])oth  these  are  circuitous  routs. —  It  is  much  to  be  regretted 
that  I  am  neither  authorized  by  Lord  Hawkesbury,  or  Sir  An- 
drew Mitchell  to  hire  a  dispatch  boat  on  such  occasions.  Per- 
haps your  Excellency  may  think  it  proper  to  direct  me  to  in- 
cur the  expence  on  future  occasions  of  moment. 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


ha 


is  the 
at  the 
ceived 
ipany 
and 
h   and 
s.    At 
vateer 
)ing  to 
ral  Sii- 


New  York  1"  Jime  1804. 
Sir. 

In  answer  to  your  letter  N"  12  of  the  28"'  of  May,  permit  to 
observe  that  I  cannot  learn  that  the  ('omniander  of  the  two 
French  Frigates  now  in  this  Port,  had  any  pai'ticnlar  object 
communicated  to  him  for  coming  here:  although  I  think  it 
probable  he  had  either  dispatches  for  M'  Pichon,  or  directions 
to  I'eceive  orders  from  him.  I  procured  a  sensible  young 
Gentleman  to  get  aciquainted  with  the  Officers  of  these  Ships, 
by  taking  his  lodgings  in  the  same  hotel  where  they  staid  — 
From  them  he  obtained  the  following  particulars.  That  the 
Dido  and  Sybille  Frigates  had  laid  some  time  in  Rockfort 
ready  for  Sea  before  an  opportunity  offered  to  escape  the  vigi- 
lance of  our  Cruizers  —  That  they  at  length  escaped,  each 
ship  having  350  Soldiers  on  board  besides  Seamen  &  Marines, 
also  about  40  French  men  apprehended  by  o.der  of  the  first 


i 


,1  ! 


160 


COIIRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Consul  and  privately  put  on  })oar(l.  Amongst  thes«^  wore 
three  (lenerals,  and  other  Offteors  of  various  Ranks,  and  a 
number  of  editors  of  newspapers.  These  were  landed  at 
Cayenne  as  exiles  —  The  Frij^ates  then  proceeded  to  (luade- 
loupe  where  about  one-half  of  th<^  land  forees  were  disembarked, 
and  the  remainder  put  on  lioard  Privateers  and  sent  to  Mar- 
tinieo  to  reinforce  that  (larrison.  The  Ships  immediately 
overhauled  their  Hifjfjin*;,  took  in  their  water  »!fce.  &(!  and  pro- 
pared  with  all  haste  api)arently  to  return  to  France  —  That 
the  officer  Commanding  j^ave  passaj^es  to  upwards  of  a  dozen 
Gentlemen  of  (xuadeloupe  to  go  home  in  one  or  other  of  the 
Frifxates.  Havin<jf  seahnl  orders  on  board  to  be  oi)ened  on  ar- 
riving in  a  certain  Latitude,  it  was  fouml  on  opiming  them, 
that  the  Ships  were  to  repair  to  New  York  for  further  orders, 
but  what  thost^  orders  are  I  cannot  learn.  The  Commanding 
officer  on  his  ai-rival  proceeded  to  the  Southward  and  'is  I  sup- 
pose to  Washington  —  he  is  not  yet  returned.  It  is  said  their 
stay  will  be  short,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  Bonaparte  and 
his  Ladv  will  embark  on  board  one  of  them.^  Tlie  Winds  for 
the  last  ten  days  have  bi^en  imfavorable  for  the  Vessels  carry- 
ing my  letters  to  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell  —  I  however  hope  he 
will  receive  them  in  a  day  or  two.  The  Frigates  are  very  fine 
large  Ships,  particularly  the  Dido  —  They  have  fifteen  ports 
on  each  Side,  carry  18  pounders  on  the  Main,  and  It  Is  said  18"" 
Carronades  on  their  fore  castle  and  Quarter  Deck,  in  my 
opinion  their  Carronades  must  be  heavier.  The  officers  com- 
plain of  their  Men  not  being  expert  Seamen,  but  the  Pilot  who 
brought  up  the  Dido,  assures  me  they  are  better  than  french 
Seamen  ordinarily  are,  and  that  both  Ships  were  worked  up 
in  a  handsome  seaman  like  manner. 

It  Is  not  General  Ney,  but  General  Rey  who  has  arrived  here 
as  Consul  General.  He  is  a  native  of  Brittany,  and  com- 
manded at  Renues  —  Was  universally  disliked  both  by  the 
Civil  and  Military  where  ever  he  had  a  command  —  He  is  rep- 
resented to  me,  by  a  person  who  knows  him  well,  as  a  man 
of  a  ferocious  disposition,  violent  temper.  Imperious  manner, 
and  much  addicted  to  Liquor  —  He  has  brought  his  Wife,  and 
1  Jerome  Bonaparte  and  Miss  Patterson  were  married  December  24,  1803. 


I  I 


0()N8UL-(»KNRRAL,   1803-1H04 


Kil 


were 

nd  a 

cl  at 

lado- 

rkt'd, 

Mar- 

ately 

I  pre- 

That 

dozen 

)f  tho 

on  ar- 

tlioin, 

irders, 

iiulinp: 

T  siip- 

1  their 

•te  and 

luls  for 
carry- 
ope  he 

^vy  fine 
ports 

laid  18'" 
in  my 
's  com- 
ot  who 
■en  ell 
;ed  np 

jed  here 

Id  com- 

bv  the 

is  rep- 

a  man 

launer, 

ife,  and 

24, 1803. 


two  or  tlir(M(  Children  with  him  and  tlu^  oi>inion  of  the  Froneli 
here  is  tlmt  the  llrst  ( 'onsid  <^ave  him  this  ii|»poiiitment  in  order 
to  j,'et  rid  of  him. —  He  spriii  i  from  the  Drej^s  of  the  nation.^ 
Ilis  ('liaiieellor  is  said  to  Im;  a  (JcMitleman  of  honor,  abilities 
and  amial)lt!  manners,  who  was  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  Civil 
Tribunals  in  St.  l)oinin<i;o,  and  his  Secretary  is  reitresentod 
in  ei^milly  favorable  colors. 


TO   Mil.   MEIIUY. 

Now  York  5'"  .lums  1S04. 
Sll{. 

It  is  ^'cncrally  believed  as  you  will  observe  it  stated  in  the 
(Jazette  of  this  (hiy  that  the  Dido  and  Sybile  French  FriiJfates 
are  on  the  point  of  Sailin<;,  their  destination  unknown,  tho 
sui)posed  to  be  for  some  part  in  France.  I  have  some  reason 
however  to  doubt  their  leavinj:^  this  place  so  immcidiately,  or  if 
they  should  it  will  be  oidy  for  a  cruize  because  the  provisions 
ordered  by  the  Aj^'cnt  for  those  ships  were  not  delivered  last 
Evening — You  will  also  perciave  a  statement  in  this  days 
paper  that  a  line  of  Battle  Ship  supposed  to  be  the  Leander^ 
has  been  seen  off  and  on  this  i)ort,  I  learn  this  report  has  been 
cir(!ulated  in  order  to  detain  the  Frigates  a  few  days,  while 
a  Shi[)  bound  on  a  Contraband  Tradi;  to  S^  Domingo  made  her 
escape  from  hence.     From  the  Set  of  the  Winds  since  I  lirst 

1  Antoino  Gabriel  Vonanco  Koy  imfiivorfihlo  to  the  Revolution  of  tlio 

was  born  Soptoiubor  212,  17G8.     Ho  IHtli  Bruiuairo,  and  so  fell  into  dis- 

eiitored  the  French  army  as  a  private  grace,  loft  the  army,  and  accepted 

inacavalryre<^inientsoino  years  bo-  tho  post  of  Consul-Gonoral  to  tlie 

fore  the  Uevolution,  obtained  a  com-  United    States.       Ho    returned    to 

mission  in  17: 1,  rose  to  the  rank  of  Franco   about  180S,  reentered   the 

Geu(!ral  of  Brigade  in  1793,  and  after  army,  served   in  S])ain   with   some 

shariiif^  in  the  defense  of  Mayence  credit,  and  died  in  183(). 

and  displaying  the' greatest  vigor  2  Althougli  tho  Leander  played  an 

against  the  Vondeans,  was  made  a  important  part  in  the  battle  of  the 

General  of  Division.  Hesubsequently  Nile,  she  was  not,  strictly  speaking, 

commanded  in  Italy,  where  he  was  a  line-of -battle  ship.    Sh^)  was  rated 

accused  of  peculation,  but  was  ac-  at  50  guns. 
quitted  by  a  court  martial.    Ho  was 
11 


hi 


/!^^-' 


1(52 


COIiUI-ISPONDKNCK   OK   THOMAS   MAItCI.AY 


A      : 


111  lu: 


wroti!  to  Sir  Andrew  Mitclioll  of  llio  ai-i-ival  of  tlioso  Sliij)s,  it 
is  iinprohjiblc  tluittlu'  lii'ttcivs  liave  niofi^  iluiu  I'cuc.lu'd  Halifax 
and  inii)(»ssibl(^  ho  could  havo  sailed  from  thence  and  arrived 
oilE  this  Port. 


TO    VICE-ADMli{AL   SIK   ANDREW   MIT(JI1ELL. 

Nuw  York  15'"  Jmu^  1SU4. 
SiK. 

I  have  tlu^  honor  to  inform  you  that  the  Dido  and  Sybile 
French  Frigates  ari>  still  in  this  Port,  Jilth"  1  suspect  they  are 
on  the  point  of  sailinj:,"  for  Finance. 

Jerome  Bonaparte  and  his  Lady  arriv(Ml  a  few  days  since 
from  Bidtimoreand  avow  their  d(!sifi;n  of  jj^oin<^  in  one  of  tlnun 
probiibly  the  Dido  as  she  is  the  best  Ship  and  infinitely  the 
fastest.  I  have  done  every  thint;;  in  my  power  to  prevent  their 
sailing,  by  circulating  Reports  that  Ships  of  your  S(iuadron 
had  been  seen  off  in  different  directions;  and  causing  persons 
living  on  the  South  side  of  Long  Island  to  say  that  two  Men 
of  War  generally  stood  in  every  Night  and  soon  after  day 
light  hauled  oft"  again.  They  certainly  are  niuih  alarmed,  and 
as  you  will  see  by  the  })apei'  inclosed  have  now  two  pilot  Boats 
(mt  to  ascertain  tlie  truth.  They  have  lost  a  inunber,  u[)wai-ds 
of  forty  of  their  men  l)y  desertion,  and  1  understand  the  ('rews 
are  com])osed  of  uien  of  almost  every  Nation  —  I  wa,s  told  yes- 
terday by  a  Person  who  liad  it  from  the  i)ilot,  that  the  Crews 
were  7U)t  only  si(;kly,  but  that  many  within  the  last  week  liad 
been  taken  111  of  the  small  Pox.  Should  this  be  the  Case,  I 
doubt  their  being  able  to  go  to  Si^a,  until  they  are  rcicovered  — 
Their  Ships  are  very  dirty  and  officers  and  Men  under  great 
fear  of  meeting  our  Men  of  War. 

TO   Mli.   MEllllY. 

Ni'w  York  18'"  Juno  1S()4. 
Sir. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  you  that  His  Majestys  Ships 

Cambi'iau  and  Driver  arrived  at  Stateu  Island  late  in  the  af- 


!■  'I'  i 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


1G3 


ternoon  of  Satui-day  last— Yesterday  I  saw  Captain  Bradley 
the  oflficer  coinmaiidiufjf,  who  iiit'ormed  me  he  was  under  orders 
to  proceed  to  sea  the  first  fair  wind. —  I  received  lat(i  last 
Eveninji-  a  Ustter  from  tlu^  Mayor  of  this  City,  a  eopy  whereof 
I  have  th(^,  Konor  to  inclose  you,  requesting?  me  to  detain  the 
Cambrian  and  Driver  for  twenty  four  hours  after  the  d(!par- 
ture  of  the  two  French  Fripites  now  in  this  Port  and  who  are 
ready  for  Sea. —  T  have  s(Mit  Captain  Bradley  a  (Mipy  of  this 
Mayors  letter,  hut  I  apjjrehend  hv.  will  not  feel  himself  author- 
ized to  remain  here  a  moiiKiut  after  it  is  practical)le  for  his 
Ship  to  ^o  out  of  the  ilook;  V'icje  Admiral  Sir  Andrew  Mit- 
chell havini?  directed  him  to  leave  this  port  the  lirst  fair  Wind, 
and  to  cruise  on  this  coast  for  the  protection  of  the  jNIerchants 
Ships  l)eloMi;ini;'  to  ilis  Majestys  Subjects.  I  wait  youi'  direc- 
tions with  respect  to  the  answer  I  am  to  send  to  the  Mayor. 


TO    DE    WITT   CLINTON. 


ISO-l. 

L  Ships 
the  af - 


New  York  IS'"  June  1804. 
Sir, 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowl(Hlii;e  the  receipt  of  your  Letter 
of  last  Evenint^,  ijiformiiii?  me  that  you  had  received  official 
noticfi  that  the  Prij^'ati^s  Didon  and  ('ybele  1)elont^'ing  to  the 
frencih  liepublic,  and  which  arrived  in  this  [)ort  the  4"'  Instant 
intenchMl  to  Sail  with  tins  first  fair  Windaiul  re({uestin^  me  to 
detain  Ilis  Majestys  Ships  ('aml)rian  aiul  Sloop  of  War  Driver, 
now  also  in  this  i)ort  for  the  space  of  twenty  four  hours  after 
the  departure  of  the  Fi-em^Ii  Frigates.  By  this  days  ])ost  I 
shall  forward  copy  of  your  Lettiu*  to  M''  Merjy  Ilis  Majesty's 
Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minist(H'  Plenipotentiary  to  those 
States,  and  who  is  now  at  Philadelpliia,  and  will  on  tln^  I'cceipt 
of  his  answer  immediately  connnunicate  to  you  his  directions 
on  the  Su])je('t.  I  am  however  ap[)rehensiv((  that  ('aptain 
Bradl(\v  the  OITlitHH"  (M)mmandin<^'  His  Majesty's  Ship  of  War 
will  not  feel  himself  authorized  to  comply  with  any  recpiisitiou 
either  from  M'  Merry  or  myself  res[)(!ctinjjr  his  remainin<if  a 
moment  in  this  port  after  the  Wind  will  adaiit  of  iiis  dejjar- 


164 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCfiAY 


!  i; 


r>- 


u. 


lit 


'/ 


I  ■  i\ 


'  '  i 


ture,  because  his  Orders  from  Vice  Admiral  Sir  Andrew  Mit- 
chell direct  him  to  proceed  from  here  on  the  delivery  of  his 
Dispatches,  on  a  cruize  for  the  protection  of  the  trade  not  only 
of  his  Majesty's  Subjecits,  but  of  that  of  tlic  people  of  these 
States,  and  which  has  lately  suffered  much  fi'om  the  dei)reda- 
tions  of  several  French  Privateers  on  this  (bast.  I  am  led  to 
believe  the  Admiral  was  induccsd  to  send  these  Ships  for  the 
above  i)ui'pose,  in  consequence  of  my  haviiifij  transmitted  to 
him  tlie  copy  of  a  Letter  which  I  lately  receivcMl  from  the 
President  of  the  Marine  Insurance  Company  in  this  City  stat- 
ing- the  Injury  the  American  Commerce  had  sustained  from 
the  predatory  Corsairs ;  and  requesting  that  measures  might 
bo  taken  to  protect  the  American  as  well  as  British  Commerce 
from  farther  Loss.^  You  will  from  this  Statement  ncoturally 
perceive  the  urgent  necessity  Ca})tain  Bradley  is  under  to  get 
from  hence  the  moment  the  Pilot  will  undertake  to  carry  his 
Ship  down  and  as  Caj)tain  Bradley  had  communicated  his  in- 
tentions to  me,  prior  to  the  receipt  of  your  Letter,  I  am  of 
opinion  he  is  entitled  to  a  preference  in  point  ^f  time  as  to  his 
departure.  The  French  Frigates  can  avail  tuomselves  of  the 
first  fair  Wind  after  the  sailing  of  His  Majesty's  Ships.  T  am 
perfectly  Sensible  of  the  delicacy  of  your  situation  and  that 
of  the  United  States,  when  Ships  of  War  of  contending  Na- 
tions enter  your  friendly  Ports ;  and  it  will  at  all  times  afford 
me  pleasure  to  lessen  as  much  as  lays  in  my  power  and  the 
good  of  His  Majesty's  Service  will  i)ertnit,  any  embarrassments 
there  nuiy  occur  by  the  Ships  of  War  of  Great  Britain  and 
France  lying  at  the  same  time  in  this  Port. 


TO    MR.    MERRY. 


Sir. 


Now  \ork  19'"  June,  1804. 


His  Majestys  Ship  Boston  arrived  yestei'day  afternoon  at 
Sandy  Hook —  In  consequence  of  Captain  Bradleys  answer  to 

1  An  extmct  from  this  letter  liav-  tlio  insurance  company,  wrote  to  Col- 
ing  been  publislied  in  tlu*  ntiwspa-  onel  Barclay  contradicting  the  as- 
pers,  Mr.  Noilsoii,  the  president  of    sertion  that  protection  to  American 


1 


•A 


i  i'!t 


(^! 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1803-1804 


1G5 


me  on  the  subject  of  the  Mayors  requisition  that  His  Majestys 
Frif^ates  ini^ht  be  detained  in  tliis  port  for  the  Spaee  of  twenty 
four  hours  after  the  sailing  of  the  Frencli  Frigates  with  tlio 
first  fair  Wind,  that  lie  could  not  comply  being  under  orders 
to  go  to  Sea  immediately  —  The  Wardens  of  the  Port  have  is- 
sued an  inhibition  to  the  Pilots  to  carry  out  either  of  His 
Majestys  Ships,  a  copy  of  this  order  I  have  the  Honor  to  in- 
close— I  have  to  intreat  you  will  give  me  your  advice  and 
directions  on  this  point. 


itoCol- 
(ho  as- 
icrican 


i 


TO   CAPTAIN   BKADLEY,  IL  M.  S.  CAMBRIAN. 

New  York  lU'"  June  1804. 
Sir. 

The  inclosed  letter  of  comi^laint  has  this  moment  been  deliv- 
ered to  me  —  You  wil '  il)serve  that  the  Mayor  considers  your 
boarding  the  Ship  Pitt  and  impressing  from  on  board  that  Ves- 
sel 18  Men,  as  an  act  of  illegal  violence  committed  within  the 
Jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.^  He  also  complains  of  the 
officers  of  your  ship  having  obstructed  the  Lieutenant  of  the 
Uevenue  (Jutter  and  the  Health  Physician  from  doing  their 
duty ;  and  adds  that  he  has  transmitted  a  statement  of  facts 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  order  that  they 
may  take  tlie  necessary  measures. —  I  consider  it  necessary 
that  you  and  the  offlcerri  of  your  ship  make  a  candid  represen- 
tation of  the  transactii^ii  in  order  that  I  may  lay  the  same  l)e- 
fore  His  Majestys  Miuis^tor  PUniipotentiary  to  these  States, 
who  naturally  will  receive  a  Icticr  of  complain^  from  the 
American  Secretary  of  State. — 

I  am  of  opinion  that  you  ought  not  to  liave  boarded  the  Ship 
or  impressed  any  men  out  of  her. —  Having  said  this  it  follows 


commerce  had  be»Mi  asked.  Barclay 
admitted  his  mistake  (see  letter  of 
Sept.  7,  1S04,  Itelow),  huttheorrone- 
ous  assertion  has  been  perpetuated 
to  this  day.  McMaster's  Hist,  of  the 
U.  8.,  Voi.  Ill,  p.  24G. 

IIA 


1  The  Pitt  was  a  British  vessel, 
and  was  boarded  and  scai-ched  in 
the  lower  bay  by  boats  from  the 
Cambrian.  Tlio  details  of  this  no- 
torious alfair  fully  appear  below. 


I 


vmm  i""j' 


166 


COltltESPONDENCK   OP  THOMAS   BARCliAY 


i«' 


h 

1 

iF 

! 

i 

1; 

'1-      ' 

1 ' 

that  the  men  should  ])e  restored.  Wliat  r(Miders  tliis  iruuisiire 
the  more  necessary  is  that  the  Quarantine  Officer  will  not  de- 
livta*  th(!  Ship  Pitt  to  the  Captain  until  he  nnisters  on  hoard  of 
her  all  the  nnui  who  navigated  that  Vessel, —  For  your  security 
and  my  own  satisfaction  I  have  taken  the  opinion  of  a  very 
ahhi  law  character  in  this  City,  well  attached  to  our  Govern- 
ment, who  agrees  in  sentiment  with  me. —  The  Language  made 
use  of  by  sonu>  of  your  officers  to  the  Lieutenant  of  the  Heve- 
nuo  Cutt(!r  was  to  say  the  least  highly  indeeoi'ous  —  Captain 
Camphell  of  the  Ship  Pitt  will  d(!liv(!r  you  this  letter,  my 
advice  to  you  is  that  the  men  are  delivered  up  to  him. 


TO   VICE-ADMIllAL   Sill   AN  DEE  W   MITCHELL. 

New  York  22'  June  1S04, 
Sir, 

His  Majestys  Ships  Cambrian  and  Driver  arrived  in  this 
port  on  this  day  week,  and  Captain  Bradley  unfortunately 
came  u})  to  Staten  Islaiul  very  near  to  the  Frmujli  Frigates 
before  I  knew  of  his  arrival.  Early  on  the  following  morning 
I  went  on  board  the  Cambrian,  and  recommended  his  dropping 
down  and  (ioming  to  an  anchor  without  the  Bar  and  beyond 
the  Jurisdiction  of  these  States,  being  apprehensive  attempts 
wonld  be  made  to  detain  His  Majestys  Ships  until  the  de- 
parture of  the  French.  The  Wind  at  the  time  was  so  nuuih  a 
head  that  the  Pilots  declined  taking  charge  of  them.  On  my 
return  that  evening  to  town  I  received  an  api)lieation  from  the 
Mayor  of  this  City  requesting  the  detention  of  the  Cambrian 
and  Driver  for  twenty  four  hours  after  the  sailing  f>f  the 
Fnmch  Frigates ;  provided  they  departed  with  the  first  fair 
Wind.  In  reply  I  informed  him  that  I  would  lay  his  request 
l)efore  M'  Merry  his  Majestys  Minister  Pleni[)otentiary  and 
wait  his  directions,  and  added  that  I  was  apprehensive  Captain 
Bradley,  to  whom  I  sliouhl  transmit  a  eojty  of  his,  the  Mayors, 
letter  ;  would  not  feel  himself  authorized  to  comply  with  the 
request,  having  your  orders  to  proceed  t'  'fji,  on  the  delivery 
of  your  dispatches.     On  Monday  the  1  received  by  order 


I 


I 


lii 


i  - 

1|: 


CONSUL-OENERAL,   1803-1804 


IG7 


lyors, 
I  the 


0 


of  the  Mayor  an  injunction  from  the  Port  Wardens  a  copy 
whereof  I  now  ineh).se  —  On  that  day  also  Captain  Douglass 
arrived  at  Handy  Hook  witli  His  Majestys  Ship  Boston,  and 
the  next  morning  th(;  Caml)rian  and  Driver  altlio'  the  Wind 
was  a  head  went  down  and  anchored  near  the  Boston.  The 
French  Frigates  had  unmoored  in  the  liope  that  a  want  of 
Pilots  wouhl  previMit  His  Majestys  Sliip  from  getting  to  Sea, 
but  when  they  perceived  them  in  motion  they  desisted,  and 
al)out  noon  came  u})  nearer  to  this  (Uty  whei  ;  they  now  lay. — 
It  is  suspected  they  will  attempt  a  passage  through  Hell 
(late  and  the  Sound.  But  1  cannot  yield  to  this  opinion  from 
the  many  difficulties  attending  it,  and  from  the  cei-tainty  that 
our  Ships  will  always  have  ample  tiiue  to  meet  them  to  the 
Eastward.  Their  only  chancic  would  he  to  go  to  Newport 
Rhode  Island,  and  thence  wait  a  favorable  moment. —  Bona- 
parte had  embarked  with  his  Lady  and  baggage  on  board  the 
Didon,  and  ])oth  the  Ships  would  have  gone  to  sea  the  first 
Wind,  had  not  the  ( 'ambrian  and  Driver  arrived.  Such  how- 
ever were  the  apprehensions  of  the  french,  that  for  several 
days  preceding  they  had  officers  in  two  Pilot  Boats  to  the 
Eastward  and  Southward  of  the  Hook  on  tlui  lookout. —  If 
you  should  resolve  to  watch  their  motions,  I  fear  it  will  prove 
a  tedious  blockade.  They  never  will  stir  while  our  ships  are 
in  sight,  and  I  am  led  to  believe  the  French  Officers  an;  not 
over  anxious  to  return  to  France.  Their  Agent  pleasantly  re- 
marked a  day  or  two  since  that  he  would  recommend  their 
being  laid  up,  and  providing  quarters  for  the  Men  during  the 
succeeding  Winter. —  I  have  strongly  urged  CJaptain  Bradley 
to  remove  from  Sandy  Hook  Bay  his  present  situation,  with- 
out the  Bar  and  at  least  a  league  from  the  Shore,  to  prevent 
future  complaints  of  a  violation  of  neutral  rights. —  This  re- 
mark leads  me  to  a  painful  and  serious  subject,  on  the  Even- 
ing of  Sunday  the  17"'  Instant  the  British  Ship  l*itt  from 
Greenoch  arrived  at  Stattm  Island,  which  is  the  quarantine 
Ground  —  On  her  ai)proach  she  was  boarded  by  the  Camltri- 
ans  Boats,  brought  to  an  anchor  and  fourteen  Men  impressed 
from  her.  While  the  Cambrians  Boats  were  thus  employed 
the  officers  of  the  Revenue  and  Health  officer  cunui  alongside 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


ill 


of  the  Pitt  to  oxaTnino  her,  but  thc^y  were  prevented  hy  tlie  of- 
ficers and  men  of  the  Canihrian. —  The  next  day  I  received  a 
lett(!r  from  tlie  Mayor  on  the  subject,  a  copy  whereof  I  have 
the  Honor  to  iuch)se. —  You  will  perceive  lie  has  transmitted  a 
copy  to  his  ( lovernment,  and  I  hav«!  made  M'  M(^rry  accpiainted 
with  the  facts,  (-aptain  Bradley  assunnlly  has  acted  impru- 
dently—  It  was  my  wish  that  the  men  should  liave  been  re- 
stored, in  which  event  every  otluu-  matter  miijfht  hav(^  l)een  got 
over,  but  in  this  particular  he  declines  complying  with  my  ad- 
vice. The  conse(pience  is  that  the  Pitt  remains  at  tln^  Quar- 
antine Chvnind  because  the  Health  ()ffi(*(n-  will  not  muster  the 
Ships  company  until  these  men  are  returiuMl  or  give  a  certifi- 
cate to  entith;  her  to  an  entry.  On  the  first  of  July  an  addi- 
tional duty  of  2  ^/o  per  (ksnt  takes  placid,  to  which  the  cargo  of 
the  Pitt  will  be  liable  unless  entered  previous  to  that  day,  and 
I  fear  I  shall  not  hear  from  M'  Mei'ry  in  time  to  prevent  this 
inconvenience  and  expense. —  I  regn^t  tliesci  untoward  circum- 
stances, particularly  as  the  accident  has  happened  to  a  char- 
acter attached  to  His  Majesty. — 


TO    MR.    MEKRY. 


I 


1/ 


.! 


■'{i;  !i 


tin  II 


f  ! 


New  York  23''  Juno  1804. 

Sir 

I  yesterday  received  a  letter  from  M'  Thornton  dated  at 
Philadelphia  wherein  he  informs  me  of  his  having  received  at 
that  place  my  letters  N""  14,  15  and  IG  addressed  to  you,  that 
he  had  opened  them,  and  forwarded  them  to  you  at  Washing- 
ton, where  you  still  remain  owing  to  bad  weather  and  worse 
roads,  and  where  you  would  at  least  continue  luitil  the  begin- 
ning of  July. — 

With  this  I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  you  copies  of  Captain 
Bradleys  letters  to  me  of  the  20"'  and  21"  current,  and  a  cer- 
tificate of  the  officers  of  His  Majesty s  Ship  Cambrian  who 
boarded  the  Ship  Pitt  on  Sunday  last  to  impress  men.  This 
certificate  is  intended  as  a  reply  to  the  affidavit  of  the  Lieuten- 
ant of  the  Uevenue  Cutter,  who  has  deposed  that  some  of  the 


^in ' 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


1G9 


)egm- 

Lptain 

la  cer- 

|i  wlio 

This 

3uten- 

hf  the 


offioors  of  tlic  Camln-ian,  cursed  him  and  damned  tlio  Revenue 
Laws. 

I  sincerely  regret  tliat  Cai)tain  Bradley  In-ought  the  (Jam- 
))riau  and  Driver  within  the  Jurisdiction  of  these  States,  and 
])articularly  that  he  came  up  to  the  Quarantine  (Iround  within 
lialf  a  mile  of  the  French  Fi-igates.  Tlui  instant  I  was  ap- 
prised of  it,  I  went  down  and  begged  him  todr(j[)  without  the 
ITook  the  moment  the  Wind  would  allow  —  I  have  also  the 
Honor  to  inclose  you  a  (!opy  of  my  letter  to  the  Mayor  in  an- 
swer to  his  letter  recpiesting  the  detention  of  His  Majestys 
Shi[)s  for  tw(mty  four  hours  after  the  departure  of  the  French 
Frigatt!S,  pi'ovided  they  sailed  the  first  fair  Wind.  I  trust  you 
will  approve  of  what  I  have  done,  and  of  the  Ships  going 
down  to  the  Hook  notwithstanding  the  Mayors  letters  to  me, 
or  the  proliiljition  of  the  Pcu't  Wardc^is  to  the  Pilots,  llis 
Majestys  shi})s  were  taken  down  by  their  own  officers  and  at  a 
very  great  risque. —  The  strong  measures  taken  by  the  Mayor 
are  I  considia*  as  wholly  extra  official,  and  pertaining  oidy  to 
the  general  executive  (Tovernmeiit  of  these  States ;  and  1  am 
also  of  opinion  tluit  as  Captain  Bradl  v  had  signified  his  in- 
tention of  departing  to  me,  many  hours  bef(»re  I  received  the 
letter  of  reipiisition  from  the  Mayor,  '.  'C  was  (entitled  to  a 

preference  in  point  of  departure  to  t  ''rench  Frigates.  Had 
the  FrcMUih  Ships  l)y  accident  got  mider  way  and  passed  the 
Cambrian  and  Driver  I  should  have  held  it  an  infraction  of  the 
laws  of  neutrality  for  our  Ships  to  have  followed  them,  and 
had  strongly  impressed  this  on  the  mind  of  (Japtain  Brad- 
ley.—  The  British  SI"  are  at  anchor  within  the  Hook,  the 
French  as  near  this  -  the  Laws  will  permit.  I  have  point- 
edly recommended  to  Captain  Bradley  his  going  without  the 
Jurisdiction  of  these  States,  and  hope  whenever  wind  and 
weather  will  permit  that  he  will  do  it  — 

It  is  with  pain  that  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  informing 
you  that  he  declines  complying  with  my  advice  to  return  the 
impressed  men.  By  the  Laws  of  these  States  the  officei-s  of 
the  Customs  cannot  enter  a  ship,  until  she  is  regularly  in- 
spected by  the  health  officer  and  has  a  certificate.  The  health 
officers  refuse  to  examine  the  Ship  until  all  the  persons  are  on 


W^ 


X^v. 


I 


t','! 


il 


(!! 


hf 


170 


CORllESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


board  who  camo  in  lior.  She  thoroforo  remains  at  tlio  Quar- 
antine Ground,  and  must  continue  there,  until  either  Cai»tain 
Bradley  returns  the  men,  or  you  obtain  an  order  from  the 
Ameriean  (iovernmeut  for  the  Ship  Pitt  beiujuf  admitted  to  an 
entry  —  You  will  perceive  that  o\U'.  of  the  two  oujifht  ti>  be 
done  without  loss  of  time,  be(;ause  in  addition  to  every  other 
in(!onvenien(!e  and  (ixpeuse  attendino-  (lennirra,f>'e,  tlu;  i)reva- 
leiKie  of  the  yellow  fever  before  tlie  departure  of  tlie  Pitt 
might  prove  a  V(iry  serious  obstruction  to  her  return  to 
(Ireenoch.  T  shall  address  my  letters  to  you  until  further 
order  to  Wasiiington. 


TO   CAPTAIN   BKAI  :.EY. 

New  York  23''  Junc^  1804. 

I  received  the  in<*losed  Letter  from  Philadelphia  which  I 
have  the  honor  to  in(!lose  you.  It  comes  fnnri  a  Gentleman 
on  whom  every  dei)endance  can  be  placed,  and  may  operate  as 
a  clue  to  useful  discoveries,  because  it  is  proba})le  Jerome  Bo- 
naparte will  (?arry  with  him  dispa,tches  from  tlui  french  Min- 
ister, all  his  own  private  correspondence  his  Journals  and  re- 
marks. T  have  reason  to  believe  his  being  made  a  prisoner  by 
the  Officers  of  His  Majesty's  Navy  would  be  considered  an 
agreeable  circumstance  by  the  Government.  Shoidd  any 
Vessel  proceed  without  documents  from  ine  you  may  rest 
assured  there  is  great  cause  for  particular  sciarch  and  almost 
a  certainty  of  his  being  on  board.  The  Trunk  so  particularly 
described  in  the  Letter  inclosed  may  be  dee[)  in  the  hold  or 
else  where  concealed,  but  the  mulatto  Boy  and  Baboon  are 
sure  prognostics  by  which  you  may  know  his  being  on  board. 
You  will  recollect  his  Lady  goes  with  him,  I  should  be  sorry 
he  escaped  us,  and  I  know  their  utmost  cunning  will  be  ex- 
erted to  do  this. —  On  Monday  I  hope  it  will  be  in  my  power 
to  give  you  additional  Marks  by  which  you  may  develoj)  this 
man.  I  think  I  shall  have  knowledge  of  every  motion  he 
makes.      The  marshall  of  the  District  court  called  on   me 


CONSUL-OFNERAI.,   1803-1804 


171 


iibout  two  O  Clock  P.  M.  this  day  und  told  nui  ho  had  process 
aj^ainst  one  of  your  Officers  —  I  advised  him  to  he  cautious 
how  he  a}»proaclied  your  Hhip,  aud  after  some  further  Conver- 
sation I  promised  him  a  U;tter  to  you,  wliicli  letter  I  inclosed 
to  Captain  Doujihiss  and  desired  liim  to  take  it  on  l)(>ai'<l  the 
Boston,  and  let  Captain  Doni^lass  eomniunicatc  the  purport  of 
liis  Bnsiness  to  von —  I  have  this  moment  had  mv  letters  re- 
turned  as  lie  dechiied  ,1,'oin^  to  tlie  Boston  before  he  ap- 
proaclied  your  Ship,  and  h(!  is  m'oiie  down  —  1  hope  Nothinfj: 
nn[)lensant  may  occur,  l)C(^ause  1  am  certain  he  means  well, 
and  to  offer  no  Insult. —  The  sooner  you  fifet  beyond  the  Ju- 
risdiction of  these  States  by  anchorinj^  more  than  a  League 
from  the  Hook,  the  ])etter,  l)ut  while  you  remain  where  I  left 
you,  every  day  will  prodiUM;  sonu>  unplwisant  (urcumstan(;e. 
It  is  hinted  to  me  that  the  French  Frii,^attss  intend  attempting 
their  way  through  Hell  (iate  and  the  Sound.  If  they  do  you 
shall  have  early  Notice,  aiul  your  laying  over  the  Bar  will  en- 
al)le  you  always  to  go  to  Sea.  The  atteinpt  to  Serve  process 
on  vour  officers  thrcmgh  the  Marshall  of  tlu;  District  (Jonrt,  is 
aniphi  j)roof  of  the  intcMition  of  the  Mayor  and  other  officers 
of  the  (J(wernment  in  this  Cit}'. —  It  is  a  measure  I  trust 
which  will  meet  the  disapprobation  of  the  American  (lovern- 
ment. —  Let  me  ])eg  you  to  admit  no  one  alongside  of  your 
Ship,  Imt  he  who  has  a  letter  from  me,  and  then  not  until  you 
have  first  read  the  Letter.  When  the  Boats  also  come  down 
with  your  Beef  or  Water,  have  them  examined  before  they  are 
permittee^,  alongside  of  your  Ship,  too  much  caution  cannot  be 
used.  I  should  luit  after  your  determination  again  touch  on 
the  Subject  of  the  Seamen  impressed  from  the  Pitt,  did  I  not 
apprehend  that  you  are  igiKU'ant  that  on  the  first  of  July  an 
additional  duty  of  two  and  an  half  per  Cent  will  attach  on  all 
Merchandize  entered  at  tin;  Customs  in  this  City. —  This  the 
Freighters  of  the  Pitt  will  have  to  pay,  unless  she  is  entered 
befor(5  that  day  —  The  more  1  reflect  on  the  measures  of  Sun- 
day last  respecting  the  Pitt,  the  more  I  am  confirmed  in  my 
opinion  already  expressed  to  you  by  Letter,  that  Prudence 
and  Propriety  dictate  your  restoring  the  men.  —  M"^  Merry 
has  been  [)revented  leaving  Wathington,  to  this  circumstance 


I 


;i  ! 


I     I 


i 


i  I 


;■      li 


COUUESl'ONDENCE  OP   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


tln^  not  liiiviiijj^  iiuswors  to  my  Letters  is  to  bo  iittrilmtcd  — 
To  mori'ow  I  shall  (H'rtiiinly  hear  from  liiin. 


ro   MK.   MEllllY. 


Silt. 


Now  York,  2S"'  June  18U4. 


I  lifivc  not  yot  had  th(^  Satisfaction  to  reccivo  au  aiiswcir 
from  you  to  my  Lcttci's.  1  attributes  this  to  the  Stato  of  tho 
roads  aiul  Bridj^es  rouderi'd  by  tho  late  violout  rains  as  I  am 
iufornuHl  impassable. 

By  a  Chiuso  in  the  Laws  of  tho  United  States,  a  Penalty  of 
four  hundred  Dollars  is  laid  on  any  person  who  shall  bo  con- 
victed of  obstru(stinji:  tho  oflicers  of  the  Uovenuo  in  their  duty. 
Und(M'  this  Act  tho  Judjj^o  of  the;  District  Court  of  the  United 
Stattss  for  tlus  State  of  New  York,  has  granted  a  warrant  or 
attachment  ai^ainst  Licni'  lM<;ot  (►f  His  Majesty's  Ship  Cam- 
brian, and  the  Marshal  wont  down  on  Saturday  last  to  serve 
it.  Captain  Bradley  received  tho  Marshal,  but  tho  process 
was  not  serviul,  owinj;  to  M'  Pip)t  not  beinjij;  on  board  tlio 
Ship.  I  undi^rstand  the  Marshall  intends  makin<j^  another  at- 
tempt, of  which  I  have  given  Capt"  Bradley  Notice — I  shall 
make  no  comment  on  those  measures. 

The  British  Ship  Pitt  from  whom  tho  men  were  impressed, 
has  at  last  been  released  from  Qnai-antino  and  adnutted  to  an 
Entry  —  Cai>tain  Bradley  has  not  however  returned  the  Men, 
and  tho  Americans  ai'o  very  warm  on  this  infring'oment  within 
their  territory. 

TO   Mil.   MEKRY. 

Now  York  30'"  Juue  1804. 

{Primfe.) 
Dear  Sir  — 

I  could  have  wished  that  you  had  expressed  yourself  in 
stronger  terms  in  your  letter  to  me  of  the  25  Instant,  respect- 
ing the  necessity  and  policy  of  Captain  Bradleys  returning  the 


^ 


CONSUL-OENERAL,   1803-1804 


173 


104. 


If  in 

pcct- 

the 


■I 


men  taken  from  tlu*  Pitt,  boc^iinso  it  oortjiinly  is  tlio  only  im- 
proper act  intotitionally  committed  by  him  and  his  ufTlc'crs  in 
tills  iiiii)h'jisaiit  affair,  and  I  havo  reason  to  hope  that  on  the 
rtjstoration  of  tlie  men,  and  a  full  assnraiico  on  the  part  of 
(Japtaiii  liividlcsy  and  liis  Oflfiec'rs  that  if  the  Ueveiuie  and 
hiialth  olfieers  wei'i'  ohstrueted  by  tlKsm  in  the  exe(Mition  of  their 
duty,  it  was  ovviiij;  to  tht^  opposition  they  met  with  from  the 
Passenj^ers  on  board  the  Pitt,  and  that  they  are  sorry  tor  it — 
Shoidd  you  ajjfree  in  opinion  with  me  tiiat  the  iniju'cssmcnt  was 
ille<;al,  liavin^'  been  made  in  the;  l*ort  of  New  York,  permit  me 
to  refjuest  you  will  nrj>'e  the  restoring;  of  Iho  men  in  youi'next 
lottei"  —  (!ai)tain  liradley  is  nearly  complete  in  his  iShips 
company. 

With  all  defei'anee  to  yonr  opinion,  allow  mo  to  say,  that  let 
the  d(!(iciency  of  His  Maj(!stys  Ships  with  respcict  to  men  have 
been  ever  so  f^reat,  it  is  not  a  justification  for  tln^  impressing; 
of  men  within  the  Jurisdiction  of  this  State,  l)eeause  by  these 
means  their  naval  powers  would  be  increased,  a  measure  inad- 
missible in  a  neutral  port;  and  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  Na- 
tions—  Oaptain  liradleys  answer  tlua'eforc  on  this  point,  I 
trust  will  ))e  eonsid(a'ed  by  you  as  irrelevant ;  and  of  course 
that  you  will  not  ur<^e  the  ari^ument  with  the  Sc^cretary  of 
State  at  Washington  —  You  will  pardon  me  for  the  Liberty  I 
take  in  jrivinj;  you  my  Sentiments. 

Should  you  however  differ  in  opinion  with  me,  and  think 
proper  to  urg(!  the  necessity  of  the  measure,  you  may  to 
strenjj,'then  your  position  remark  that  when  the  trench  repub- 
lican Ship  Ambuscade  some  years  since  was  in  this  port  and 
prepared  to  go  out  to  meet  HisMajestys  Ship  Boston,  that  she 
was  publicly  permitted  by  the  Governor  of  this  State  and 
Mayor  of  New  York  to  increase  her  establishment  of  men  at 
least  one  thii'd,  by  recruitings  seamen  in  this  port  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  that  no  notice  was  ever  taken  of  it  by  the  American 
Government  —  After  tht  action,  the  And)uscade  returned  into 
this  port,  and  then  extra  Seamen  were  discharg'ed.'  I  shall  con- 
tinue to  address  my  hitters  to  you  at  Washington  until  further 

1  Tlio  action  took  plaeo  oflf  ^Amtr  Brjineh,  August  1,  179:5.     An  account 
of  it  will  lio  found  in  McMastor's  Hist,  of  tho  U.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  12.'$. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


LI 


1.25 


Ilia 

iiitt 

1:3  6 


1.4 


ilM 
IIIM 

IIM 
1.6 


V^ 


<? 


/a 


VI 


e. 


e: 


.r 


ej 


W  0^; 


■€•!■ 


'm 


// 


.^ 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


1^ 


iV 


4< 


s 


\ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14S80 

(7)6)  872-4S03 


.^ 


<> 


'^^ 


W 


>^ 


% 


V 


<» 


^^h"- 


^ 


L<? 


€^^i 


w. 


^ 


r 


L  .1.  li 


a 


i, 


f 


174 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


notice  —  The  f rench  Frigates  have  Cut  new  Sails  and  taken 
pilots  on  board  —  still  I  fear  they  have  no  intention  of  going 
out  —  Strong  suspicions  have  been  entertained  that  Bonaparte 
would  embark  for  Nantz  on  board  the  Brig  RoUa  —  of  this 
Captains  Bradley  and  Douglass  have  notice,  with  ample 
private  infornuition  respecting  baggage  and  other  incidental 
minutia. 

TO   VICE-ADMIRAL   SIR  ANDREW   MITCHELL. 

New  York  3"  July  1804. 
Sir. 

I  yesterday  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  private  letter  of 
the  8"'  and  your  public  letter  of  the  tenth  of  June  —  Herewith 
is  a  certificate  from  mo  on  the  points  you  requested  respectiiig 
the  blockade  of  Martiniijue,  which  I  trust  will  prove  satisfac- 
tory. Every  measure  in  my  power  was  taken  immediately 
on  the  arrival  of  the  French  Frigates  to  give  you  the  earliest 
Notice,  but  the  easterly  winds  continued  without  intermission 
for  ten  days  immediately  after  their  arrival  —  Captain  Lyall's 
meeting  with  the  American  Ship  Mary  was  very  fortunat«},  I 
regret  he  did  not  detain  the  french  Prisoners  because  from  his 
Statement  their  conduct  was  more  than  suspicious. 

My  letter  to  you  of  the  22'  of  June  did  not  get  down  to 
Sandy  Hook  in  time  for  the  Driver,  I  mention  this  circum- 
stance because  you  naturally  must  be  surprized  at  not  hearing 
from  me  by  so  direct  a  conveyance  —  The  Ship  Pitt  has  been 
admitted  to  an  entry;  but  the  American  Government  are 
warndy  complaining  to  His  Majestys  Minister  of  the  infrac- 
tion of  the  Laws  of  Neutrality  and  violation  of  their  own  Laws 
by  Captain  Bradley  and  his  officers  —  M'  Merry  has  also 
strongly  remonstrated  again,st  the  violent  and  illegal  measures 
of  the  Mayor  and  Port  Wardens  by  inhibiting  the  Pilots  from 
taking  His  Majestys  Ships  to  Sea — A  Warrant  has  issued 
against  Lieu*  Pigot  from  the  district  (-onrt  of  the  United 
States  for  obstructing  the  Revenue  officer  in  tlie  Execution  of 
his  duty  —  On  Friday  last'  as  His  Majestys  Ship  Boston  was 

»  Tho  29th  of  Juno. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


175 


working  out  to  Sea  hiiviug  a  Pilot  on  board,  she  took  the 
ground  (by  shooting  too  far  ahead  as  the  Pilot  says  in  his 
Justification  in  going  about)  —  It  was  fortunately  low  Water, 
and  she  again  floated  in  a  little  more  than  an  hour,  without 
sustaining  the  least  injury  —  This  accident  was  particularly 
unfortunate,  having  acquainted  Captain  Bradley  of  the  sailing 
of  the  American  Brig  RoUa,  in  which  I  had  reason  to  believe 
two  of  Bonapartes  Servants,  were,  and  did  embark  with  dis- 
patches and  probably  property  —  The  Rolla  went  to  Sea  while 
the  Boston  was  aground  —  The  Boston  has  been  ever  since 
cruizing  off  and  on  this  Port,  and  the  Cambrian  has  probably 
gone  out  to  join  her  this  day —  The  frencli  Frigates  have  Cut 
new  sails,  and  taken  Pilots  on  board,  still  there  is  no  appear- 
ance of  their  going  out  —  Their  friends  suggest  that  as  these 
Ships  were  charged  with  a  secret  mission  to  the  French  Min- 
ister to  these  States,  and  have  now  his  dispatches  on  board  — 
they  would  not  be  justified  in  risquing  an  action  —  a  miserable 
subterfuge. 

Captain  Lyall  on  his  way  from  this  impressed  some  Seamen, 
amongst  whom  is  a  man  named  Robert  Kelly,  who  I  under- 
stand is  an  uncommon  fine  Seaman  and  a  respectable  man  —  He 
is  from  Ireland  —  His  Wife  who  appears  a  very  decent  Woman 
applied  to  me  to  endeavor  to  effect  his  discharge  —  This  I  re- 
fused ;  she  then  begged  I  would  intreat  you  to  permit  her  to 
come  to  her  husband  —  I  was  so  pleased  with  the  manners  and 
appearance  of  the  Woman  that  I  assured  her  I  would  request 
for  her  this  indulgence ;  if  therefore  you  can  with  convenience 
transfer  this  man  to  your  flag  ship  and  pornut  her  to  come  on 
board  you  will  do  me  a  favor  —  She  is  accustomed  to  the  Sea, 
and  has  been  more  than  a  year  on  board  with  him. 


TO    CAPTAIN   BllADLEY. 

New  York  2.7"  July  1804 
My  DEAR  Sir. 

Your  letter  of  yesterday  with  a  dispatch  for  M"^  Merry  I  re- 
ceived early  this  Morning  from  Peacock's  Man  —  The  latter 


!'^ 


■f    ii 


m 
m 


■M 


17G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


1 

i:    ' 

1 

•'il  \ 

III 

1    '  ' 

iHiii 

h 

•  i 

1  ' 

i      . 

f 

I 


fl 


«l 


will  go  to  Philadelphia  where  M'  Merry  now  is  by  this  day's 
Post. —  Since  my  last  to  you,  I  have  consulted  with  Daniels, 
formerly  the  oldest  and  most  experienced  Pilot  for  this  Port, 
but  who  has  been  dismissed  for  his  attachment  to  Great  Brit- 
ain, as  I  before  mentioned  to  you.  He  agrees  with  me  that 
the  only  sure  method  to  give  you  at  all  times  early  Notice  in 
the  Event  of  the  French  Frigates  going  thr<nigh  Hell  Gate, 
will  be  to  have  Stevenson  below  the  Narrows  between  Coney 
and  Long  Island  where  he  can  lay  in  safety. —  No  one  need 
know  his  business,  and  he  can  go  and  return  every  tide  from 
Quarter  flood  to  Low  Water,  because  the  French  Ships  if 
they  intend  passing  Hell  Gate  must  get  under  way  the  last  of 
the  Ebb,  so  as  to  be  at  Hell  Gate  at  slack  Water,  or  if  there  is 
a  fresh  Westerly  Breese  it  is  most  safe  for  them  to  pass  that 
place  the  very  last  of  the  Ebb. —  Thus  Stevenson  may  be 
away  eight  or  nine  hours  every  day  and  all  Night,  of  conse- 
quence he  can  continue  to  pass  from  you  to  me,  so  that  no  ad- 
ditional expense  will  be  incurred. —  You  can  consider  of  this 
and  resolve  on  what  you  think  best. —  I  am  ])romised  the  ear- 
liest Notice  should  they  ship  Pilots  for  Hell  Gate :  still  it  may 
so  happen  that  I  may  be  disappointed. —  Everything  appears 
very  (piiet  amongst  them. 

The  Complaints  against  the  officers  of  His  Majestys  Ships 
under  your  Command  you  will  observe  are  now  bec<»nie  the 
Subject  of  National  Enquiry.  A  Regular  Compla'''t  has  been 
made  by  tlie  American  Secretary  of  State  to  1  lerry  His 
Majesty's  Representative  to  these  States,  who  from  your  an- 
swer, will  make  a  reply  to  the  Charges,  and  will  naturally 
transmit  Copies  to  Lord  Harrowby  the  Minister  for  foreign 
affairs. —  In  saying  that  I  hoped  you  would  not  again  come  up 
above  thi5  Narrows,  I  assuredly  alluded  to  the  avoiding  any 
more  Complairts  that  might  be  made  in  consequence  of  an- 
other application  to  detain  His  Majesty's  Ships  until  the 
French  had  sailed :  and  I  confess  it  is  with  Reluctance  that  I 
understand  from  your  letter  you  intend  coming  within  the 
Hook  to  Water. —  The  American  Government  already  charge 
His  Majesty's  Ships  with  hovering  on  their  Coasts,  with  a 
view  of  capturing  Ships  of  other  Nations  in  alliance  with 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1H03-1804 


177 


them.  Your  coining  in  .and  going  out  will  conflrm  the  Charge. 
The  Weii,ther  is  so  very  fine  I  should  suppose  you  might  l)e 
watered  over  the  Bar,  from  the  Schooner  that  last  watered 
Cap'  Douglass. —  I  merely  suggest  tliis,  you  are  the  only  and 
best  Judge.  I  will  see  the  man  and  either  hire  him,  or  a  large 
Vessel  for  you  and  send  her  down  whenever  you  order  it.  At 
all  events  slu;  may  go  out  and  take  your  Empty  Casks. —  Let 
me  know  the  day  you  wish  hei*  sent  down,  how  many  casks 
you  have  to  fill. 


TO    Ml{.    MEllllY. 


Sir. 


New  York  13th  July  1H04 


I  have  the  Honor  to  in<dose  to  you,  a  copy  of  Captain  Brad- 
leys  letter  to  me  of  yesterday  in  answer  to  mine  in  which 
I  forwarded  to  him  an  extract  from  your  letter  to  me  —  What 
Captain  Bradley  notices  respecting  the  conduct  of  the  officers 
of  the  French  Ship  of  War  Poursivant  in  the  Chesepeak,  I  sus- 
pect is  correct,  having  not  long  since  seen  a  very  particular 
statement  of  the  Facts  i)i  a  paper  from  Norfolk  in  Virginia  — 
M'  Moore  communicated  to  me,  the  cause  of  your  present  de- 
tention at  Baltimore  —  I  regret  the  accident,  as  you  will  not 
fiiul  it  easy  to  replace  the  loss  of  a  good  coachman  in  Amer- 
ica—  By  the  public  papers  you  will  be  informed  of  the  unfor- 
tunate death  of  General  Hamilton,  one  of  the  most  respectable 
characters  in  these  States,  and  a  gentleman  of  eminent  Tal- 
ents 1  — I  consider  him  even  as  a  loss  to  His  Majesty  and  our 
Cxovernment,  from  the  prudence  of  his  measures,  his  con(!iliat- 
ing  disposition,  his  abhorence  of  the  French  Revolution,  and 
all  republican  principles  and  doctrine,  and  his  very  great  at- 
tachment to  the  British  Government  —  The  cause  of  the  duel 
originated  in  (General  Hamilton  having  repeatedly  and  pub- 
lickly  expressed  his  opinion  of  M'  Burr;  particularly  at  the 
late  election  for  Governor  of  this  State,  and  his  endeavoring 
to  dissuade  the  Federalists  from  co  operating  in  favor  of  M' 
Burrs  election. 

1  The  duel  was  fought  on  the  11th,  and  Hamiltou  died  on  the  12th  of  July. 

12 


ij:'! 


i 


!' 


I 

I 

(i 


178 


\n>^  i. 


(X)ltllIiSl'()NDHN(;i!:  OF   THOMAS   BAUCLAY 


TO    Mil.   MEIUIY. 


Slli 


New  York  18'"  -liily  1804. 


Your  letter  of  tlie  KJ'^''  (/iirreut,  I  received  tliis  moniinjx,  to- 
jjether  witli  ii  eopy  of  ji  letter  from  tlie  Ainericiiu  Seeretary  of 
St;it((  t'»  you  iiiuler  diite  of  the  7"'  Instant.  Oopics  of  tliese  are 
now  niakinj:,'  and  will  Xw;  forwanhnl  this  Eveninj]^  or  tomorrow 
moi"nin<^  to  Caj)tain  Bradley  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Canjbrian 
an<l  C'a[»'  Douglass  of  the  Boston  —  It  will  not  liowever  be  in 
their  power  to  reply  before  I  possess  them  with  the  remaindcjr 
of  the  Documents  you  was  from  want  of  time  prevented  send- 
iu}^  to  me. 

The  Driver  went  to  Sea  on  the  24"'  of  June,  the  itistant  it 
was  advisable  for  any  sliip  to  go  out  iii'ter  the  19*''  from  which 
day  to  the  24  it  had  bio  wed  a  gale  fi-om  the  Eastward,  not  a 
ship  of  any  description  had  put  to  Sea  in  the  interval.  It  is 
possible  in  her  way  off  the  Coast,  she  may  have  boarded  several 
vessels,  and  impressed  some  men  —  Tiie  facts  Vice  Admiral  Sir 
Andrew  Mitchell  will  (Mnpiire  into  and  every  num  not  a  sub- 
ject of  His  Majesty  will  be  dischai'ged  —  But  the  charge  of  the 
Driver  hovering  on  tlio  confines  of  these  States  is  incorrect  — 
She  most  assuredly  pro(!eeded  with  all  reasonable  expedition 
to  the  i)lace  of  her  destimition,  Halifax  —  On  ]wv  passage  and 
near  this  place  she  met  the  young  Factor  and  Diligence  Ships 
from  Ireland  from  whom  she  took  some  subjects  of  His  Ma- 
jesty. If  any  Americans  were  impressed  through  mistake  they 
will  be  restored  —  From  an  intimate  knowledge  of  Captain 
Lyall  I  can  safely  assure  you,  it  was  not  done  intentionally  — 
you  nuiy  saf(!ly,  Sir,  assure  the  American  Secretary  of  State, 
that  His  Majestys  Captains  are  very  delicate  on  this  Subject. 
I  have  never  heard  nor  do  1  believe  that  either  of  His  Majes- 
ty's Ships  the  Cambrian,  Boston,  or  Driver  boarded  any  ship 
or  vessel  from  their  arrival  within  tlus  Jurisdiction  of  these 
States  to  the  Day  of  their  Di![)arture  the  liritish  Ship  Pitt  ex- 
cepted. Neither  have  I  heard  of  their  boarding  and  impress- 
ing any  men  from  Ships  outward  bound,  even  beyond  the  Ju- 
risdiction of  these  States  which  to  them  was  lawful  and  if  any 


I 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


179 


Ma- 

they 
)taiu 

state, 
jcct. 
yiajes- 
ship 
these 
itt  ex- 
ipress- 
le  Ju- 
if  any 


of  the  men  on  board  were  Sul)jects  of  His  Majesty  to  take 
them  from  thence. 

While  the  three  Ships  lay  in  Sandy  Hook  bay,  they  did  not 
intermeddle  with  any  vessel  eoniinj^  in  or  going  ont  The 
Driver  being  only  a  Sloop  of  War  went  to  sea  on  the  24"'  Jnnt? 
at  a  moment  when  the  two  large  Ships  eonld  not.  In  the 
same  manncii-  the  Boston  a  ship  of  three  and  an  half  feet  less 
water  than  the  C-an.'  ''»n  went  to  Sea  on  the  30"'  of  Jnne 
whiui  it  was  inipraetic.;;i'  for  the  ""'ilot  to  take  the  (v'ambrian 
ont — you  will  however  recollect,  uhat  the  day  before  from 
anxiety  to  get  (mt  the  Bostcm  made  ati  Attempt  with  the  Wind 
ahead,  and  took  the  (Ironnd  —  On  the  JJ"' Jnly  the  Cambi-ijiu 
went  to  Sea  —  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  notice  tin)  remark 
made  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  that  the  Port  of  New  York  is 
virtually  blockaded  by  our  Shii)s  —  They  are  far  beyond  the 
Jurisdi(Mion  of  the  United  States  of  America,  where  the  Sea 
appertains  to  His  Majt^sty  in  common  with  all  other  Nations 
— Fi'cnch  and  Dutch  Ships  resort  to  these  Ports,  and  at  times 
french  Ships  of  War  and  Privateers.  The  Protection  of  His 
Majesty's  Subjects  and  the  S(!rvice  re([uire  that  th<!se  should 
bo  captured  —  American  Ships  navigated  by  Americans  or 
men  of  any  other  Nation  save  British  Sul)jects  pass  our  Ships 
of  War  without  molestati(ni — At  this  moment  the  Americans 
have  one  hundred  British  Seamen  in  th(>ir  Service,  for  every 
American  by  accident  impressed  on  board  His  Majesty's  Ships 
of  War,  and  I  aver  the  fact  that  a  great  proportion  of  the 
Crews  of  tlui  American  Frigates  are  Sul)jects  of  His  Majc^s- 
ty's.  It  is  also  a  matter  of  Notoriety  that  (Certificates  of  Cit- 
izenship (connnoidy  calhid  Protections)  ar<^  issued  to  FjUglish, 
Irish,  and  Scotch  men,  many  of  whom  have  not  been  a  month 
in  these  States. 

TO   CAPTAIN   BRADLEY. 

Now  York  22'  .luly  1S04. 
Sir, 

When  I  communicated  to  you  the  possibility  of  the  Frendi 
Frigates  attempting  a  pass^igii  through  ll(41gate  to  avoid  an 


If' 


180 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


I        I 


ll'l 


«  ! 


action  with  His  Majestys  Ships  under  your  coinTnaiul,  and  of 
the  means  of  giviu}^  you  noticic  in  such  an  event,  I  ealeuhited 
on  tlie  hiast  possil)ly  favorable  moment  on  our  part,  wlien  the 
attempt  c.ouUl  ho,  made,  and  under  theses  eireumstauces  stated 
that  it  mifj^ht  take  from  ten  to  eighteen  hours.  This  was  un- 
der an  impr(^ssion  tliat  you  mij^ht  V)e  four  or  iivo.  leagues  with- 
out the  Hook.  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  with  a  j^ale  from  the 
Southwest  and  the  very  first  of  the  tide  of  Hood,  those  ships 
will  be  under  weigh,  nuiny  hours  b(ifor«i  I  ean  give  you  notice. 
A  Pilot  Boat  with  the  wind  from  that  (piarter  (!au  nuike  no 
head  way  against  the  tide :  nor  can  a  cutter  or  row  boat  do 
much  better,  particularly  after  they  get  below  the  narrows 
and  have  a  heavy  sea  or  swell  to  obstru<!t  them.  In  calcida- 
tions  of  every  kind,  it  is  most  safe  to  take  the  worst  that  ean 
happen  —  ordinarily  it  is  probable  the  notice  could  be  con- 
veyed to  you  in  eight  hours  at  farthest. 

On  my  part  you  may  rest  assured  of  every  attention  to  their 
motions,  and  of  my  using  the  best  means  to  give  you  the  ear- 
liest notice.  They  have  been  up  in  Iheir  barges,  and  sounded 
Hellgate,  on  their  return  they  expressed  their  opinion  of  the 
difficulty  of  the  navigation.  I  am  therefore  rather  of  opinion 
that  they  will  not  hazard  it  —  One  of  the  most  experienced 
Pilots  assures  me  it  is  an  hundred  to  one  but  they  get  on  there 
in  the  attempt. 

The  best  manner  to  be  adopted,  will  be  to  have  Stevenson 
with  his  boat  laying  below  the  Narrows,  with  an  officer  from 
one  of  your  ships  always  with  him :  at  every  slack  tide  during 
the  day  he  can  take  a  look  at  the  Ships,  and  if  they  are  not  in 
motion  go  down  with  letters  from  me  to  you,  or  bring  back 
dis[)atclies  from  you,  so  as  to  be  at  his  station  before  the  next 
low  water.  This  will  be  the  best  mode  because  below  the  nar- 
rows there  is  but  little  tide  to  obstruct  a  boat.  I  would  not 
however  have  the  boat  to  go  down  to  you  when  the  french 
Ships  get  under  way :  from  the  improbability  of  their  being 
able  to  get  through  Hell  gate,  but  to  wait  my  orders.  I  will 
immediately  cross  to  long  Island  and  watch  their  motions ; 
the  instant  they  are  through  Hellgate,  ride  express  to  the 
Narrows  and  dispatch  the  boat  to  you.     This  cannot  take 


CONSlTL-dKNKHAL,    1H():J-1H04 


ISl 


more  than  an  liour  ffoin  the  time  they  pass  Helljijate.  If  yon 
approv(3  of  th(>  plan,  let  mo  know,  send  np  an  officer,  and  I 
will  j^o  and  stiition  them.  Let  the  officer  he  dressed  (uther  in 
plahi  eloth,  or  as  an  ordinary  seaman  to  prevent  siispicMon. 

Yon  mnst  not  think  of  again  coming  ahove  the  narrows  — 
From  ])rivato  letters  dated  at  Balltown  Si)rings  a])ont  190 
Miles  np  the  lindson  river,  Jerome?  Bomipartc;  and  his  Lady 
wcr(!  there  a  few  days  since  —  I  cannot  therefoi'c  think  they 
have  it  in  contemplation  to  attempt  an  escape  —  still  they 
may,  their  measures  are  very  secret. 


TO   ADMIllAL  Sill  ANDREW    MITCHELL. 


Sir.. 


Now  York  I"  August  1804. 


The  boat  which  retnrned  this  morning  from  the  (Jambrian 
brought  me  3'our  lettfir  of  the  18"'  of  July,  and  aiu^ther  from 
(\'iptain  Skene  announcing  his  arrival  off  Sandy  Hook  in  liis 
Majestys  Ship  Leandcr.  I  am  happy  to  learn  that  Captain 
Bradleys  conduct  meets  yonr  a])probation.  He  is  a  very 
worthy,  zealous  officer  and  a  gentleman  for  whom  I  have  a 
sincere  regard.  I  am  however  apprehensive  you  are  uiuler  a 
mistake  in  supposing  the  officers  commanding  ships  of  War  of 
belligerent  Powers,  having  a  right  in  a  neutral  Port  to  board 
ships  of  their  own  nation  and  to  impress  men  from  them. 
But  this  is  a  point  for  M""  Merry  to  nuiintain  with  the  American 
Goverunumt,  and  unnecessary  for  me  to  discuss  with  you.  I 
shall  only  add  that  I  am  clear  His  Majestys  ministers  will 
coincide  with  me.  The  conduct  of  French  ships  of  War  in 
this  Port  and  in  Virginia,  may  be  used  as  a  collateral  argu- 
ment in  defence  of  Captain  Bradleys  measure;  but  never  in  jus- 
tification —  because  two  Wrongs  will  not  make  one  right — I  am 
rather  apprehensive  you  have  been  misinformed  respecting  the 
*'  French  Frigates  now  iu  this  Port  having  boarded  a  French 
Schooner  or  Brig  and  impressed  the  whole  of  the  crew."  On 
au  enquiry,  all  that  I  could  learn,  was  that  they  had  taken 

from  a  French  Vessel  four  men,  wh^     'ley  stated  to  have  de- 
la* 


■<^ 


r 


!  . 


if 


(■  ■ 


fi      hi 


»l 


J;  ii 


182 


(lOUUKSI'ONDKNCK   OF  THOMAS    ItAKdliAY 


sorted  from  tlioni  —  Tlio  Ooiiduct  however  of  the  IVmrsuivjiiit 
this  year,  ami  of  tlie  Somiluiitc  two  or  tliroo  years  siiuM^  in  tlie 
('hesepeaic  was  siiaiiiefully  outraj^eous,  an<l  I  liavt^  [lossessed 
M""  Merry  of  th(!  facts  to  bo  used  as  an  offset  to  tin;  eomitlaiiits 
of  the  Freneh  Minister  against  the  Ships  under  your  command 
now  off  this  Port. 

I  have  lieretofore  stated  to  you  that  tho  eonduot  of  tlie  Mayor 
and  I'ort  Wanhjns  of  tliis  {)laee  was  in  my  opinion  violent,  il- 
lei^-al,  and  higldy  expressive  of  thciir  partiality  to  the  l<''reneh  ; 
and  I  liave  rci)restMited  thoii*  measures  in  that  point  <tf  view 
to  M'  Merry  and  Lord  Hawkesbury.  AUow  me  however  to 
answin'  tlie  two  (Questions  in  your  Letter  —  1",  Wliy  was  not 
tlie  l*ilots  taken  from  the  Freneh  Frigates  who  was  of  superior 
force  to  the  British?  Answer — Because  no  roipiisition  was 
made  on  tlui  part  of  the  Officers  of  His  Majestys  Shii)s  foi' 
this  purpose.  1  am  rather  inelinod  to  believe  that  under 
similar  circumstances,  on  application  on  the  part  of  Ilis 
Majesty  to  tlu;  American  (}overnment,  an  order  would  have 
issued  inhibiting  of  French  shii)S  of  War  sailing  until  24 
hours  had  elapsed  from  the  sailing  of  British  Slii])s.  I  have 
in  several  instaiufes  made  such  an  ai)i)lication  in  favor  of 
Montreal  ships  to  have  Privateers  detained,  and  always  met  a 
ready  compliance. 

2''  —  Had  any  accident  happened  to  the  Pitt,  who  would  the 
Master  have  applied  to  for  assistance,  the  Mayor  of  New  Yoi-k, 
or  the  British  Frigates?  Answer.  Undoubtedly  to  the  ('om- 
mander  of  the  Frigates  —  I  do  not  however  see  that  this 
answer  will  in  the  least  lead  to  a  justification  of  Captain  Brad- 
leys  conduct — On  tho  part  of  Captain  Campbell  of  the  Pitt, 
there  was  no  complaint  against  Captain  Bradley,  all  he 
wanted  was  his  ship  to  be  admitted  to  an  entry — he  over 
and  again  said  to  Captain  Bradley,  if  that  could  be  effected 
he  cared  not  for  the  imni,  because  he  supposed  the  greater 
part  would  leave  him.  It  is  the  United  States  who  complain 
of  an  infringoment  of  their  Laws  within  their  Jurisdiction. 
A(!C(ipt  my  best  thanks  for  your  complying  with  my  re<piest 
to  take  Robert  Kelly  on  board  your  ship,  I  shall  write  Captain 
Keen  respecting  his  wife  who  I  believe  a  very  decent  woman. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


183 


In  the  Brifj  Jofforson  sent  to  Halifax  for  luljudicutiou,  Cap- 
tain liradlcy  s(nit  as  part  of  tlio  prize  crow,  a  man  named  Hil- 
ling's, who  has  been  proved  to  (-aptain  Hradley  t<)  hv  an  Ameri- 
can—  I  intreat  yon  will  have  the  j,'oodness  to  order  him  to  Ik* 
diseharj^ed  —  in  addition  to  tivery  otlnn*  reason,  I  am  prejn- 
dieed  in  his  favor  from  there  having  been  no  application  to 
the  American  (lovernment  for  liis  release,  bnt  oidy  to  mo. 

It  is  with  nuudi  regret  I  inform  you  of  the  capture^  of  His 
Majestys  Shii)  Lilly,  and  the  death  of  Captain  Compton  and 
th(!  (irst  Li  ntenant.  Thc^  inelos(ul  packet  from  (/onsnl  Ham- 
ilton will  ji;ive  yon  the  particulars.' 


TO   MR.    MEllRY. 


nplain 
liction. 
|-c(piest 
|!aptain 
roman. 


SiK. 


New  Yoi-k  lO'"  Aiij,nist  1804 


Captain  Skene  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Leander  on  Saturday 
the  4"'  Current  boarded  sonus  Leaffm^s  from  Sandy  Hook  the 
American  Ship  Eu5j;enia  John  Mansfleld  Ma.ster  from  Hour- 
doaux  to  New  York.  On  examining?  the  Ship  and  her  papers 
ho  was  satisfied  that  l<]uemies  property  was  on  board.  Under 
this  conviction  he  took  jiossession  of  the  Ship  put  a  prize 
Master  and  Seamen  on  board  and  ordered  her  for  Halifax  in 
Nova  Scotia  for  trial  in  the  (/ourt  of  Vice  Admiralty  in  that 
port.  In  consecpumce  of  l^jasterl3'^  Winds  and  th<^  State  of  the 
Ships  sails  the  prize  nnistttr  was  oblijjfcd  to  eonic  to  an  aiudior 
under  Fisher's  Island  near  New  London  Lij^ht  House;  .John 
Manslield  the  late  Master  and  Robert  Parry  the  mate  of  the 
Eugenia  who  had  been  permitted  by  Captain  Skene  to  remain 

1  Tlie  Lilly  was  eiipturod  on  July  Tho  Pronoh  had  the  evoninp  ])pforo 

1.'),  1804,  oil  tho  (Carolina  const,  by  a  capturod  an  EngliHh  ship  from  Al- 

Freiioh  privatcior.     Captain  Oonip-  ricatotlharlostou  with  slaves,  whicji 

ton   and    the  Hrst  lioutouant  wore  the  Frenchman  took  out,  and  ;,'avo 

kilh'd  early  in  tho  action,  and  tho  tho  ship  to  her  crew  and  that  of  the 

Jjilly    was     afterward     carried    by  Lilly."  Tho  two  Enj^lisli  crews,  with 

boardinj;.      The  New-York  Ga/otte  the    captured    slave-ship,    reached 

of  July  30  adds,  "  Tiie  French  hail  Norfolk  some  days  after  the  action. 
180  to  '.iOO  men,  the  Lilly  about  78. 


.  I 


184 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


on  board  tliat  Hliip,  to  see  that  tliere  was  no  r  nbcz/lement  of 
the  cargo,  improperly  hift  the  Ship,  went  on  shore  at  N(!W 
London  eoHeeted  a  number  of  persons,  armed  them  and  tln^m- 
selv(!s,  and  in  a  fast  sailinfjf  sh)()p  ov(*r  took  tlie  Kuf^enia, 
boarded  lier  l)y  violence,  took  possession  of  lier,  tnrmul  the 
prize  master  and  British  Seamen  on  Shorc!  at  N(^w  London, 
and  proceeded  immediately  to  N(!W  York  where  slie  arrived 
late  on  the  Eveninj^  of  the  8"'  Listant.  The  ship  was  yester- 
day admitted  to  an  entry  — 

At  four  o( 'lock  yesterday  afternoon  M'  Yates  the  I'rize  Mas- 
ter arrived  in  this  C!ity  and  stati  the  al)()ve  facjts.  I  have 
taken  his  affidavit,  herewith  inch  d,  to  enable  you,  Sir,  to 
make  a  i)roper  representation  to  the  American  (lovernment  of 
this  illej^al  act  of  violence  aiul  piracy  committed  by  (Jitizens  of 
these  States. 

I  have  transmitted  to  the  OoUector  and  Naval  OfflcH'r  of  this 
I'ort  a  copy  of  M'  Yeat's  affidavit,  and  reciuested  tlusm  to  de- 
mand all  the  orif^inal  papers  of  the  liluj?enia  from  M'  Patriidc 
the  owner  and  John  Mansfield  the  Master,  and  to  take  imme- 
diate possession  of  the  Ship  and  prevent  any  j)ai-t  of  her  (uirgo 
being  taken  out  or  removed  until  they  receive  orders  from 
M'  Madison  the  American  Secriitary  of  State. 

I  forbear  making  any  connnents  on  this  outrageous  act  on 
the  part  of  Captain  Mansfield,  his  Mate  and  others,  and  trust 
on  a  representation  from  you,  that  the  American  ( jovernment 
will  take  such  measures  as  justice  and  a  wish  to  preserve  the 
present  good  understanding  which  subsist  between  His  Maj- 
esty and  the  United  States  of  America  reciuire. 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


New  York  14  August  1804 
Sir, 

It  was  not  in  my  power  to  give  you  more  information  re- 
specting the  American  Ship  Eugenia  than  on  the  tenth  of  this 
month,  because  she  did  not  arrive  until  late  in  the  Evening  of 
the  8"',  on  the  ninth  th(;re  were  many  contradictory  reports  in 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1803-1804 


185 


ciroulatioii  n^spootiii^  her  escape,  to  not  any  of  which  tho 
hiaHt  (n'odit,  oouhl  attaeh.  I  then^foro  waited  the  an-ival  of 
the  prize  Master,  and  lost  not  a  moment  to  give  you  his  State- 
ment under  oatli  — 

Captain  Skene;  of  IlisMajcstys  Ship  Leander  pressed  a  lirit- 
ish  Seaman  from  tht!  American  Ship  Swift,  Murphy  Master  — 
He  also  has  taken  oiui  British  Sc^aman,  and  fifteen  Irish  Emi- 
f^rants  from  the  American  Ship  Jjive  Oak,  but  both  these 
ships  were  far  iK^yond  the  line  of  dennmnition,  a  League  from 
Shore. —  Indeed  ilu!  Live  Oak  was  sid)ject  to  heavy  pains  and 
pemdties  for  hrin^iufj^  out  mon;  men,  than  ])y  her  Tonajj^c  she 
was  (!ntitle<l  l)y  act  of  I'arliament.  I  know  of  no  other  im- 
pn^ssnuints :  but  I  have  this  day  written  to  Captain  liradley 
iitnjuaintin^  him,  that  I  have  fortunately  sui)j)ressed  the  pub- 
iicjation  of  the  adidavits  of  three  Masters  of  Ships,  who  de- 
p(»sed  that  tluiy  had  been  boarded  from  the  L(!ander  within 
three  mih^s  of  tiie  Shore,  and  I  have  recpiested  him  to  prevent 
in  future  a  similar  breach  of  neutrality. 


TO   ADMIRAL   SIR   ANDREW  MITCHELL. 


kl804 

Uion  re- 
ef this 
iuiug  of 
[ports  in 


Siu. 


New  York  14  Au{?ust  1804 


As  it  is  uncertain  that  the  Letters  from  Capt"  Bradley  and 
Captain  Skene  will  arrive  in  time  to  go  by  this  conveyance, 
and  you  may  be  anxious  to  know  the  particulars  of  the  case  of 
the  American  shi[)  Eugenia,  John  Mansfleld  Master  from  Bour- 
deaux  to  New  York,  detained  by  (Japtain  Skene  on  the  4  In- 
stant and  ordered  to  Halifax,  I  have  the  Honor  to  communi- 
cate the  following  facts  collected  from  the  testimony  of  M' 
Yeates  the  Prize  Master  — 

On  the  4"'  of  August  M""  Yeates  Master's  Mate,  M'  Masters 
Midshipnum  H  Seamen  and  two  nuirines  were  sent  by  (Japtain 
Skene  from  the  Leander  on  l)oard  tho  Eugenia,  with  orders  to 
M'  Yates  the  prize  Master  to  take  that  Ship  to  Halifax  Nova 
Scotia.  Light  Winds  and  those  from  the  Eastward,  together 
with  the  miserable  situatiiui  of  tin;   Eugenia  in  sails,  pre- 


ff 


18G 


OOltUKSl'ONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BAllCLAY 


I 


!l 


I  •   ! 


veiitod  M'  Ycates  g(!ttiuj;  to  tlio  South  I'^ast  so  as  to  doiiblo 
Nantucket  Shoals;  and  hudiufj;  hinis(>lf  ucai'  to  the  Eastern- 
most part  of  Lou}^  Ishiud  he  resolved  to  j^o  ovim-  the  Shoals. 
Oil  the  ()"'  he  took  a  Pilot  on  hoard  for  that  purpose,  hut  the 
Wind  soon  after  eoininjif  to  E  S  Vj  hlovviuj^f  fresh,  with  thick 
hazy  W(N-ither,  and  beinj;  unahh^  on  either  tuck  to  weather  the 
land,  by  the  advice  of  the  I'ilot  \n'  bore  away  for  Fisher's 
Island,  and  anchored  about  a  mile  from  lln^  New  liondon 
Light  llouse. —  ('aptain  Mansfield  and  his  mate  who  had  been 
sent  in  tlui  Ship  for  Halifax,  nnide  their  (vseape  from  her  on  the 
7"'  Instant  while  M'  Y(*ates  was  beh)w,  and  went  on  shore, 
wluire  they  hired  an  armed  liandittt!  to  retake  the  Shii),  and 
came  out  from  New  London  in  a  sloop  for  that  purpose. 
Suspicious  of  this,  and  the  Wind  haviuij:  chaiij^cd  a  few 
points,  M'  Yeat(!S  had  cut  his  cabh^  and  got  undi^r  way,  a.ml 
had  proceeded  some;  leagues,  when  he  was  overtak(Ui,  boarded 
and  carried  by  twenty  five!  men  from  tlu^  Sloop  — M'  Y(^at«'s  and 
the  Li^anders  imni  W(M'e  {)ut  on  shon;  at  New  London,  and  the 
b]ugonia  proceedt^d  dii'ect  to  this  i)lace  throngli  tlu;  Sound 
where  she  arrived  on  the  8"'  Instant. 

M'  Y(>ates,  M'  Masters  \]\rco,  S(\'inuMi  and  the  two  Marines 
(iojue  here  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  !)"'  —  Tlu^  othcfr  five 
Seanuui  (hiserted  at  New  fioudon  —  I  immediately  took  his 
affidavit  and  tra.nsnntted  it  the  next  nu)rning,  with  a  letter 
from  nu':  detailing  the  particuhu's  and  re([uesting  M'  Merry  to 
make  spirited  remonstrance's  with  res[)ect  to  the  ('onduct  of 
Captain  Ma.nslield  his  Mate  and  the  armed  men  hired  at  New 
Loudon,  and  to  demand  a  restitution  of  the  Ship. —  As  the 
Ship  alth<>'  ir,dmitt(!d  to  an  entry  had  not  yet  (M)mmenctKl  the 
discharge  of  her  (^argo,  I  also  wrote;  on  the  nu)rning  of  the 
10"'  a  Leti.er  to  the  proper  ollicen's  of  the  Customs  on  the  Sub- 
ject, inclosing  a  copy  of  M'  Yeat(is'  affidavit,  and  re(|uir<Hl  of 
th(!m,  to  n^gain  the  possession  of  the  Ship's  i)apers,  and  to 
tak(;  the  s;aid  Mni)  into  their  custody  and  not  periait  an  Arti- 
chi  to  be  landed  or  removcul  from  her,  until  they  received  or- 
(h^rs  from  tlie  Aniei'ican  Sticre^'vry  cd"  State  ((►  whom  M'  Merry 
would  make  a  forimd  repn^sentatiou  — 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  you  copies  of  the  answer  to  the 


i 
I 


C<)NSliIi-(lKNKl{.\li,    180:J-I8()4 


187 


iib(tV(!  —  Oil  M'  Merry's  opinion,  T  slijill  niakc!  no  otlu'i*  (.(umiiu- 
iiicjition  lliiin  (hat  it  does  not  (rorrt'spond  with  mine.  From 
his  situation  and  ('xp(!i'icni'(^  1i(>W('V(M*  he.  innst  be  th<  best 
judi^e. — I  am  pained  to  add  ho  has  been  very  nnwcll  for  some 
time  past. 


I 


TO    MK.    MEKUY. 

New  York  Aiij,''  IS""  1S()4 
SlK. 

I  liave  the  Honor  to  t'neh)sey«"i  a  K'tt»'r  I'rcMn  C-aptain  Skene 
ol"  His  iMajesty's  Ship  Ijeandcsr,  and  a  eopy  of  a  h'tlei'  from 
Captain  Hradh'v  of  tlie  Cambrian  to  me  received  tliis  MorninJ,^ 

I  have  to  aeipiaint  yon  that  the  Siiip  I/ittU?  (V>rnelia  de- 
tained b}'  the  L(;ander  ami  sent  to  Halifax  for  a<ljndieation 
was  retaken  by  thi;  Mastei'  Mate  &  Cook  and  carried  int(tN(!VV 
London.  No  act  of  Violence  attending;  the  Miiasnni  —  Mr 
finhel  the  OwmM*  has  very  handsomely  disavovvtid  his  a.pi>roba- 
tion  of  tlu^  M(^asnre,  retnrm^d  (^iptajn  Skeiu*  the  papei's,  and 
offers  l()  abide  the  Sentence  of  the  Vice  ( Vmrt  of  Admiralty  at 
Halifax.' 


of 
ew 
the 
the 
the 
Uib- 

of 

to 

.rti- 

or- 
erry 

the 


TO    MK.    HAMMOND. 

New  York  'S.V  Aujyust  1S04. 
Sir. 

T  was  ijiformed  a  tew  days  since  that  the  S(!cond  instalment 
due  by  these  states  to  His  Majiisty  h.ad  not  yet  been  paid,  ow- 
iuf?  to  M'  Merry  not  havinji^  I'cceived  an  ord(!r  for  that  pnr- 
poso — It  may  l)e  of  moment  that  Lord  Harrowby  should  be 
mad(*  ai(^(piainted  that  Spanisli  dollacs  are  not  to  l)e  obtained 
at  any  [>r(!minm ;  and  bills  of  excliani^'c^  bear  an  advance  of 
two  and  one  half  per  ('(Mit,  but  would  rise  to  five  if  .C2()0,(K)U 
StcM'linjj^  is  to  be  punOnised.  iiesides  with  ev(4*v  precaution 
thoro  is  much  ns(iue  in  buyinj^  bills  from  Merchants —  LIndiM- 

lN(>twitliH!aii(lii\f^     Mr.      .tiiliol's  was  ii  French   iiifrcliuiit,  living  in 

hiindsonii'  olTcr,  it  doos  not.  apjiLmr  New-York,   wlio   had    married   I'or- 

tliat.  tlio   liitlle  Cornelia  was  ever,  nelia  liivingsion,  sister  to  Selniyler 

in    fact,   Hurrcnilered.      Mr.  Juhel  Livingston,  Han'lay'a  son-in-law. 


188 


C;ORUESPONI)KNCE   OP  THOMAS   BAIWILAY 


11 


those  iiMprcssious  and  not  knowinj,'  whether  any  inode  lias 
b(5i'n  adopted  for  advantageously  remittini;  this  Sum  or  mak- 
ing a  eonvenient  application  of  it;  I  am  led  to  offer  through 
you  my  opinion  to  his  Lordsliip. — 

The  six  hundred  thousand  pounds  is  to  he  paid  hy  the 
American  States  as  a  gross  Sum  in  satisfaction  of  British 
Debts  due  to  American  Loyalists  —  Whenever  the  Commis- 
sioners api)ointed  to  certify  the  Sums  due  ea(;h  Loyalist  re- 
port. 1  think  it  would  be  most  for  His  Majestys  Scviee  to 
give  drafts  for  thcf  respective  Sums  awarded  tliem  payable  in 
America.  This  m<>de  will  save  the  (Tovernment  much  tnmble 
ami  expense  and  free  it  from  the  possilnlity  of  dang«u'  from 
protested  Bills  —  The  individuals  who  are  to  be  paid  will  find 
ways  of  getting  their  money  to  Great  Britain,  indeed  many  will 
want  it  in  this  country. —  A  conviction  of  the  ])rudence  of  this 
measjire  has  led  me  to  take  the  liberty  of  offering  my  opinion, 
and  if  no  more  proper  ])erson  can  be  found  to  receive  the 
nu)n(^y  and  pay  the  drafts,  I  beg  leave  to  timder  my  Services  — 

It  is  with  pain  I  mention  to  you  M'M(U'ry  having  had  a  sec- 
ond severe  attack  —  It  is  of  the  apoplectic  kiiul  —  His  mind 
since!  his  arrival  in  America  has  been  much  perplexed  by  un- 
toward events  of  which  you  are  not  ignorant. 

His  Majestys  Ships  Leander  and  Cambrian  still  continue  oft' 
this  Port,  watching  the  French  Frigates  within  —  It  is  said 
the  latter  intend  going  to  Sea  in  a  few  days.  Many  (com- 
plaints from  the  American  Government  again  (  the  comluct  of 
the  c(mimand(!rs  of  the  British  Ships  of  War;  l)ut  all  of  them 
unfoiuuled,  save  that  of  the  17"'  of  Jum^,  respecting  the  Ship 
Pitt,  and  treatment  of  the  American  officers. 


ff 


II  r 


■!   ' 


" 


TO   Mil.   MEllKY. 

New  York  24  August  1801. 

{Primte.) 
Dear  Sir. 

I  am  greatly  pained  to  learn  by  your  private  letter  that  you 
have  experieuced  a  relapse  and  continue  weak  and  indisposed. 


lyf'H 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


189 


off 


lem 


The  informa*;ion  in  your  own  hand  writing  has  been  com- 
municated to  the  Commanders  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of  War 
off  tliis  Port. —  By  the  news  papers  you  will  see  there  are 
many  charges  against  them  of  impressments  within  the  Amer- 
ican Waters,  maltreatment  and  imprudent  expressions,  most 
if  not  the  whole  of  them  are  without  foundation:  but  four  in- 
stances have  come  to  my  knowledge,  neither  of  which  have 
been  made  the  subject  of  complaint,  in  which  I  am  well  as- 
sured the  American  shijjs  were  l^oarded  within  three  miles  of 
the  Shore.  T  have  repeatedly  stated  this  to  Captains  Bradley 
and  Skene,  and  recpiested  them  to  be  more  careful  in  future 
that  the  Amei'ican  Ships  are  more  than  a  League  from  Shore 
when  Boarded —  I  added  my  opinion  that  a  small  rehixation  in 
boarding  and  impressment  would  in  my  opinion  be  politic. — 
It  is  wliispered,  and  I  have  reason  to  suspect  it,  that  the  two 
French  Frigates  will  attempt  their  escape  in  a  few  days. 

The  Editor  of  the  American  Citizen  has  made  a  violent  at- 
tack upon  the  President  of  the  Marine  insurance  company, 
wherein  he  states  tliat  that  Gentleman  had  wi'itten  to  you  on 
the  Subject  of  French  Privateers  being  on  the  American 
coasts,  and  in  consequence  of  his  representations  our  Ships  i  )f 
war  had  been  sent  hither.^  This  we  know  to  be  false  —  But 
he  has  learnt  from  a  confidential  person,  that  you  shewed  to  "^r' 
Galatin  ray  letter  of  the  12'"  of  May,  wherein  I  informed  you 


1  The  article  appeared  in  tlic  Citi- 
zen of  Auf^iifit  22.  The  following 
extracts  exliibit  the  substance  of 
Choetham's  attack : 

"The  Leander  &  Co. 

"It  is  communicated  to  me  by 
good  autliority  that  Mr.  William 
Neilson  Sen.  of  this  city,  merchant 
wrote  to  Mr.  Merry  immediately 
after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  rcs- 
qnesting  him  to  order  a  naval  force 
olf  the  Hook,  to  protect  American 
Commerce.  It  is  added  that  Mr. 
Neilson's  letter  is  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  Sec.  of  State  communicated 


by  Mr.  Merry  himself.  As  the  Rev- 
olution which  severed  the  colonies 
from  the  crown  of  Great  Britain 
never  altered,  as  we  are  informed, 
Mr.  Neilson's  attachment  to  it,  Mr. 
Merry  could  not  but  comply  with  his 
Toquf^st  tojyrotcetAmerimnCommercc, 
an<l  accordingly  the  Cambrian  and 
the  Driver,  the  Boston  and  the  Lean- 
der were  graciously  sent  for  that 
purpose.  .  .  .  They  have  exhibited 
their  protecting  care  over  our  com- 
merce, in  the  capture  of  our  vessels, 
the  violation  of  our  territory,  the 
nialtreatmout  of  our  fellow  citi- 
zens." 


'x 


190 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


that  I  had  that  day  received  a  letter  from  the  President  of  the 
Marine  insurance  Company  in  this  City,  statinjjf  a  Frencli 
Cruizer  beinfjj  off  (Tcorfj^ia  and  Soutli  Carolina  connnittinfij 
depredations  on  British  and  Ameri(!an  Ships:  and  that  I  had 
notified  C'aptain  Douf^las  of  it. —  M'  Calatin  has  eommtniieated 
this  to  povei'al  persons,  and  prohably  to  the  B]ditorof  the  Citi- 
zen, and  by  this  means  a  shameful  use  has  l)een  made  of  that 
wliich  was  honorably  and  prudently  intended,  and  the  unfair 
conclusion  has  becui  drawn  iliat  on  this  information  you  a])- 
plied  to  the  Admiral  fen*  the  Ships  now  off  this  port,  and  tliat 
the  pres(5nt  blockade  of  this  port  is  owinji^  to  M'  Neilson  the 
President  of  the  Marine  insurancn^,  office.  You  will  do  me  a 
favor  by  ac<puiintin^  nu»  with  what  passed  b«^twe(!n  you  and 
M'  (lalatiu,  and  whether  you  showed  him  the  letter. 

As  my  proposed  ride  to  Piuladel[)liia  was  intendcid  as  a  visit 
of  respect  and  regai'd  to  you  and  M"  Merry,  T  sliall  postpone 
it  until  I  am  informed  you  are  recovered  —  I  sincerely  hope 
soon  to  hear  this  from  you.  Present  my  bc^st  respects  to  M™ 
Merry.  T  wish  you  was  fartlu^r  Nortliward  when*  the  air  is 
more  <!ool,  and  the  country  more  j)leasant. 


TO   VICE-ADMHIAL   SIR  ANDREW   MITCHELL. 

New  York  25"'  Au{,nisl  1S04. 
Sir. 

Cai)tain  Bradley  and  Captain  Skene  (particularly  tlu^  latter) 
haviuf^  written  to  you  fully  by  this  Conveyance  renders  it  un- 
necessary for  me  to  state  any  thinj?  further  (iitlun*  i-espectinj^ 
the  Eujijenia  or  the  little  Cornelia.  They  are  botli  very  morti- 
fyiuijf  circumstances  to  me;  'uul  T  have  in  a  private  letter  to 
Captain  Skene  recommended  while  off  tliis  [)lace  in  tlie  event 
of  orderinjif  a  Vessel  to  Halifax  for  examination  to  send  only 
their  Master  or  Mate  in  her,  and  to  forward  the  two  other  prin- 
cipal Officers  of  the  Vessel  by  the  first  pj-ivate  conveyance. 
Til  is  measure  might  be  attended  with  an  Expense  of  fifty  to 
an  hundred  dollars,  but  what  is  that  to  insure  the  safe  airival 
of  the  Vessel. 


(JONSUL-GENERAL,    1,S0:J-1H04 


191 


:1,cr) 
un- 

lorti- 
!!■  to 
ivcnt 
lonly 
Dvin- 
Liice. 
Ity  to 
Irival 


It  is  i-iith(M'  sin^'ular  M'  Merry  and  myself  should  differ  in 
opinion  (Ml  the  only  two  (juostions  of  nionieut  that  have  oc- 
cnrred  sin('c  the  arrival  of  His  Majesty's  Ships  off  Port. —  In 
th((  ease  of  the  Ship  Pitt,  M'  Merry  appears  to  have  heen 
rather  in  doubt  that  the  CV)nduct  of  the  officers  of  the  Cam- 
brian amounted  to  an  infraction  of  Neutral  liif^hts. —  On  that 
point  I  am  most  clear,  notvvithstandinj/  the  tacit  consent  of 
Portuj^al  Tlairibur^-h  &c  &c  &c  in  similar  cases.  Their  suffer- 
ing; liritish  Sliijts  of  War  to  inij>ress  lii-itish  Seamen  in  their 
ports  can  nevei"  alter  the  old  established  Laws  of  Nations,  or 
take  away  tin;  rij^hts  of  (»thor  neutral  powers. —  In  the  regain- 
ing; possession  of  the  Eugenia  by  violence  and  recruiting  an 
armed  Body  of  Men  on  shore  for  that  purpose,  M'  Merry  ap- 
pears of  opinion  that  it  is  not  an  Act  that  will  admit  of  a  re- 
monstrance—  There  again  1  am  so  unfortunate  as  to  Ite  of  a 
contraiy  opinion,  which  I  have  statetl  to  him  at  large  with  my 
reasons. 

I  have  notified  Capt.  Bradley  of  the  probability  of  the 
Fnineh  l^^-igates  attt^nipting  their  escape  either  through  the 
Sound  or  by  the  Hook:  If  the  latter  they  will  wait  the  first 
fresh  Gale  from  the  N  W  and  I  have  cautioned  him  to  keep 
well  to  the  Northward  of  Sandy  Hook,  so  to  have  tluj  Bay 
open  to  him  up  to  the  Narrows,  that  ho  may  see  the  Ships 
coming  down,  and  be  ready  to  meet  them,  because  in  less  than 
two  houi's  from  their  getting  under  way  they  will  be  at  S(!a 
and  if  our  Ships  run  to  the  Southward  of  the  Hook  they  will 
be  to  leeward  and  never  overtake  them. 

I  am  sorry  to  ac<iuaint  you  that  M'  Merry  has  had  two  or 
three  very  disagreeable  attacks,  whicli  cntre  nous,  are  evi- 
dently apo})lective.  He  is  very  nervous,  and  dejected  weak 
and  almost  int^apable  of  doing  Business.  His  Life  I  consider 
very  precarious,  and  I  have  pressed  him  to  permit  me  to  send 
for  Mr.  Chipman  the  Solicitor  General  of  New  Brunswick  to 
assist  him  until  his  Hcnilth,  if  ever  is  re-established.  Mr. 
Chipman  is  the  best  (Qualified  Character  in  this  State. 

In  one  of  my  last  letters  I  mentioned  Samuel  Billings  an 
Anu^rican  Seaman  who  had  been  sent  in  a  prize  to  Halifax  — 
Captain  Bradley  told  me  he  would  be  discharged  there  by  you, 


■r 


1<J2 


OORItHSl'ONDKNc;!!:   Ol''   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


au(l  I  requested  you  tluit  he  mijijht,  as  ho  has  been  unequiv- 
ocally proved  to  be  a  native  Aincriean — If  he  has  not  been 
(liseharijcd  when  you  receive  this  I  intreat  he  may  as  I  stand 
pledged  that  he  will  be. 


TO   Mil.  MEKllY. 


Hiu. 


Now  York  'M'"  Aufjust  1804. 


I  did  myself  the  Honor  yesterday  to  eoiiimunieate  to  you  in 
a  private  letter  that  the  French  Frij^ates  Sybil  and  Didon,  had 
altout  G  of  the  eh)ek  in  the  morniiifj^of  that  day  jifot  under  way 
and  i)r()eeoded  towards  Sandy  Hook.  The  Wind  ])eintjf  lij^lit 
and  [)art  of  the  tide  expended  before  they  were  in  motion  \n'e- 
vented  their  getting?  fai'tlun*  than  Graves(Mid  Bay,  distant 
about  eleven  miles  from  this  city  where  they  came  to  an 
anchor  and  where  they  remained  at  dark  last  Evening — As 
the  Ebb  nuide  very  early  this  morning,  boats  have  been  pre- 
vented getting  up,  so  that  we  remain  ignorant  whether  they 
remain  at  (Iravesend  or  have  gone  to  the  Hook  with  the  morn- 
ing tide  —  It  is  more  than  [trobable  I  shall  hear  before  this 
hitter  goes  to  the  Post  Office.  The  l)est  opinion  I  can  form, 
is  that  these  ships  will  attempt  getting  to  Sea  the  ttrst  favor- 
able moment,  when  our  Ships  are  to  leeward  to  this  port. 


Sir. 


TO   WILLIAM   NEILSON.' 

Now  York  7''  September  1804. 


I  have  tliis  moment  received  your  letter  of  yesterday,  and  in 
com[)liance  with  your  recpiest  inclose  a  C!oi)y  of  the  letter  yon 
wrote  me  on  the  11*''  of  May  last  as  President  of  the  Marine 

1  Tho  American  Citizen  renewed    was  inteinlud  to  afford  an  answer 
its  attaeks  on  Mr.  Neilson  on  August    to  these  articles. 
28  and  September  5.  Barclay's  letter 


(JONSUL-GENERAL,   1803-1804 


193 


In.sura/u*e  Company  —  Having  seen  an  Extract  of  my  letter  to 
tlie  Mayor  of  this  City  of  the  18'"  of  June  published  in  the 
Anieriean  Citizen,  I  was  induecd  to  examine  that  letter,  as 
well  as  the  one  you  wrote  to  me,  aiul  I  fit\d  that  in  giving  my 
reasons  to  the  Mayor,  for  apprehending  it  would  not  be  in  the 
power  of  the  Commander  of  His  Majesty's  Ships  of  War  to 
comply  with  his  request,  I  have  been  guilty  of  a  mistake,  in 
stating  to  him  that  your  letter  to  me,  expressed  the  American 
as  well  as  British  Commerce  —  My  recital  to  the  Mayor  was 
from  Memory,  and  not  from  a  reference  to  your  letter.  I  am 
extremely  sorry  for  having  unguardedly  made  use  of  two 
words  not  in  your  letter,  and  can  only  account  for  it  on  this  prin- 
ciple, that  the  Newspapers  at  that  time  contained  information 
of  several  American,  as  well  as  British  Vessels  having  been 
captured  to  the  Southward  by  French  Privateers,  and  from 
my  mind  being  impressed  with  these  reports,  led  me,  when 
I  wrote  to  the  Mayor  to  suppose  it  was  so  expressed  in  your 
letter. 

I  have  never  received  any  other  letter  from  you  than  the 
one  herein  mentioned. 


TO   MR.  MERRY. 


180-4. 

•Mid  iu 
ter  you 
Marine 

answer 


Sir. 


New  York  13  Sept'  1804. 


I  did  not  receive  satisfactory  proof  that  Jerome  Bonaparte 
and  his  Lady  were  still  in  these  States  until  last  Evening. 
Two  days  since  M'  Wood  told  me  that  on  the  5"'  Instant  he 
had  met  them  in  a  common  stage  coach  near  Trenton ;  but  so 
universally  Avas  his,  and  his  Wife's  departure  credited  in  this 
place,  that  I  apprehended  M'  Wood  had  made  a  mistake.  In 
addition  to  every  other  report,  a  confidential  man  assured  me 
he  saw  her  in  a  Barge  with  Monsieur  Du  Pont  the  French 
agent  going  from  Staten  Island  to  the  Ship  that  General  Arm- 
strong was  in.     I  also  knew  to  a  certainty  that  M''  Du  Pout 

had  borrowed  money  from  a  gentleman  for  the  express  pur- 
ls 


194 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


[^J 


'Ui« 


If 


;.( 


pose  of  an  advance  to  Bonaparte  at  liis  departure.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  every  th'm^  was  arranged  for  their  (especi- 
ally his  Ladys)  goinpf  to  Bordeaux  in  tlie  Thomas,  and  I  (can- 
not but  believe  that  (Jeneral  Armstrong;  nnist  have  had  some 
knowledge  of  it. — As  the  Tiiomas  passed  Staten  Island  M'  Du 
Pont  and  M"  Bonaparte  in  a  Barge  attempted  to  gain  the  Ship, 
but  no  noti  to  was  taken  of  them,  nor  would  the  Captain  heave 
the  Ship  to(j  for  them,  I  er.anot  learn  whether  Jerome  Bona- 
parte was  in  the  Barge  —  M'  Du  Pont  has  since  mentioned  his 
and  their  disappointment  and  insinuated  that  they  had  l)een 
unhandKOinely  treated. — The  Gentleman  who  lent  jVP  Du  Pont 
the  money,  mentioned  yesterday  to  a  friend,  who  I  requested 
to  interrogate  hira,  the  above  particulars. —  I  have  it  also  froiu 
another  person  to  the  same  effect.^  —  The  Didon  will  attempt 
her  escape  the  first  favorable  moment.  Pilots  are  engaged  for 
the  Sound  as  well  as  Sandy  Hook.  Captain  Bradley  although 
satisfied  of  the  necessity  appears  unwilling  to  incur  the  ex- 
pense of  keeping  a  boat  on  pay  at  Gravesend  to  give  him  no- 
tice if  she  attempts  a  passage  through  the  Scnind.  This  in  my 
opinion  is  necessary,  because  the  same  Wind  and  Tide  which 
carries  the  Didon  through  Hell  Gate  and  the  Sound,  will  pre- 
vent a  boat  getting  to  Captain  Bradley,  and  give  the  Didon  at 
least  nine  hours  start.  "Whereas  a  boat  stationed  at  Grave- 
send,  in  one  hour  after  the  Didon  got  under  way,  would  leave 


1  Barclay  was  correctly  iuformod. 
On  September  5,  Mme.  Bonaparte 
wrote  to  her  father  from  New-York : 
"  We  have  made  the  journey  liere  for 
nothing,  as  General  Armstrong,  the 
Ambassador,  after  writing  to  Mr. 
Bonaparte  that  ho  would  bo  do- 
lighted  at  taking  me  to  France  with 
him,  changed  his  mind  and  went  off 
without  mo.  To-morrow  we  are  to 
leave  this  place  for  Philadelphia, 
and  from  thence  we  go  to  Springfield 
immediately  ;  so  that,  as  I  shall  see 
you  soon,  it  is  unnecessary  to  say 
more.    I  thought  the  opportunity  of 


going  with  an  Ambassador  too  good 
to  bo  missed,  and  Mr.  Bonaparte 
was  to  have  gone  in  the  frigates  a 
few  days  after  nio."  In  October, 
1804,  Jerome  Bonaparte  an<l  iiis  wife 
sailed  from  Philadol]>hia,  but  were 
wrecked  off  the  Cai>es  of  the  Dela- 
ware and  returneil.  In  November, 
they  embarked  in  the  French  frigate 
Lo  Pr<5sident,  late  Poursuivant ;  but 
disembarked  on  learning  of  the  arri- 
val of  H.  M.  S.  Revolution riairo  on 
the  coast.  This  ended  their  attempts 
for  the  winter.  In  December  they 
were  in  Washinirlon. 


I 


la: 


I 


CONSUL-OENERAT.,   1803-1804 


195 


tliat  for  His  Majestys  Ships.  1  liavo  no  authority  to  employ 
such  a  Hoat,  unless  you  think  proper  to  order  it  — The  Syble 
it  is  said  will  renuiin  here  nntil  our  Ships  are  compelled  to 
leave  the  <*oast;  perhaps  this  is  mere  report. 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR   A.   MITCHELL. 

New  York  'i'i''  Sept'  1804. 

(ZV/i'«/f.) 
Dear  Sir. 

Throuf,'li  the  intervention  of  a  friend  of  M'  Piehon  and 
mine,  I  have  this  day  requested  you  wonld  send  him  any 
l)rivate  familiar  letters  of  his  which  may  have  been  forwarded 
to  yon  from  C'apt"  liradley  or  Skene  —  and  informed  you  that 
he  would  consider  himself  nnder  an  obligation  if  you  feel 
yourself  at  liberty  to  favor  him  with  copies  of  his  official  let- 
ters, which  were  taken  on  board  the  Eugenia  or  little  Corne- 
lia, provided  they  contained  nothing  which  can  injure  His 
Majestys  Service  —  This  last  request  I  should  not  have  made, 
had  not  Captain  Skene  informed  me  of  the  Contents  of  those 
letters,  and  that  they  merely  respected  Jerome  Bonaparte 
going  home  —  1  am  satisfied  had  M'  Piehon  received  those  let- 
ters in  Season,  Jerome  wonld  before  this  have  embarked  on 
board  one  of  the  Frigates,  and  attempted  his  Escape  from 
your  Ships :  and  I  am  further  of  opinion  that  M'  Piehon  will 
hurry  him  off  on  receiving  official  copies  of  them.'  —  The  Cam- 
brian and  Leander  are  now  within  the  Hook,  to  avoid  the  ef- 
fects of  an  equinoctial  Gale  and  to  complete  their  Water. 


1  The  official  letters  referred  to 
were  written  by  DeerSs,  tlio  French 
Minister  of  Marine,  to  Piehon  and 
Jerome  Bonaparte,  conveying  the 
orders  of  the  First  Consul  for  Je- 
rome's return,  but  prohibiting  the 
coming  of  "  the  young  person"  with 
whom  he  had  formed  a  connection. 


Tlio  letters  are  dated  the  30th  Ger- 
minal in  the  year  XII(April  19, 1804). 
Translations  are  printed  with  other 
original  documents,  in  an  otherwise 
worthless  little  book,  "The  Bona- 
parte-Patterson Marriage,"  Phila- 
delphia, 1873. 


M 


1      ! 

1     ! 
1 

> 

:    '1     1 

^  i     1 

M 

.,uii  i 

(; 

I 


! 


1  I 
;  1 


19G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


The  French  Frigates  reniaiu  moored  near  the  City.  The  Sy- 
ble  lias  had  lier  balhist  overliauled  and  her  rij^ging  set,  hoth 
Ships  liavo  been  completed  with  Water,  and  their  Coops  filled 
with  Poultry  &c  &c  &c  so  that  every  thing  indicates  an  inten- 
tion of  going  to  Sea  speedily.  Hell  (late  (the  only  difflcnlt 
part  of  the  navigation  through  the  Sound)  has  bcicn  repeatedly 
examined  by  the  officers  of  their  Ships,  and  Pilots  have  been 
examined  as  to  the  feasibility  of  taking  them  through  and  or- 
dered to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  —  still  I  have  it  from  un- 
questionable authority  that  they  do  not  inteiul  going  to  Sea 
that  way,  but  will  barely  make  the  attempt,  a  ruse  de  guerre, 
in  the  hope  that  Captain  Bradley  on  hearing  that  one  of  them 
has  gone  up,  will  send  one  of  his  Ships  to  the  East  end  of 
Long  Island  to  intercept  her ;  in  which  case  the  french  Frigate 
will  return  and  both  Ships  put  to  Sea.  The  truth  is,  that  what 
they  intend  as  a  feint,  ought  in  reality  to  be  carried  into  effect. 
By  sending  one  of  the  French  Ships  to  New  Port  Rhode  Is- 
land Cap'  Bradley  must  have  detached  the  Lcander  or  Cam- 
brian to  watch  her  motions.  If  the  Leander  was  the  Ship, 
the  French  Frigate  might  easily  escape,  and  if  the  Cambrian 
went  off  Rhode  Island,  then  the  Ship  here  might  put  to  Sea — 
all  they  aim  at  present  is  to  get  Bonaparte  off  in  either  Ship. 
From  receiving  their  complement  of  Provisions  and  Water 
the  French  Frigates  swim  very  deep  —  The  Syble  draws 
twenty  four  feet  Water  —  I  have  had  private  information,  l)ut 
on  which  no  depcndance  can  bo  placed,  because  the  man  is  a 
Stranger  to  me,  and  I  have  reason  to  suspect  him  to  be  a  spy, 
and  treat  him  accordingly,  until  I  am  satisfied  he  is  the  re- 
verse, that  both  the  Ships  are  to  remain  where  they  are  until 
our  Ships  retire,  and  that  the  Commodore  will  embark  for 
France  next  week  in  a  Merchant  Ship  —  Time  will  develop 
this,  and  if  the  report  proves  true,  induce  me  hereafter  to  af- 
ford to  this  man  a  grain  more  of  credibility ;  I  however  very 
much  doubt  my  being  authorized  to  place  confidence  in  him. 
I  say  enough  when  I  add  that  he  is  a  Dutch  Jew,  who  has 
travelled  over  the  Globe,  knows  every  Body  and  every  thing. 
— If  he  was  honest,  he  would  be  serviceable  as  he  daily  visits 
the  French  Ships. 


i 


CONSUL-OENERAL,   1803-1801 


197 


I 


■i 


TO   CAPTAIN   BKADLEY. 

New  York  :U"'  Oct'  1804. 

You  liavo  noticed  from  tho  papers  that  a  frcneh  Frif^ato  is 
(•xi>(M!ti'(l  hero  from  France,  whicli  report  is  confirmed  to  mo 
this  day  by  3r  Mei-rv.  I  have  reason  to  believe  she  was  yes- 
t(!rday  off  this  port  and  communicated  with  one  of  the  pilot 
lioats.  Tlio  French  Cliancellor  mentioned  this  last  Eveninp 
and  the  Genthunan  to  whom  ho  stated  it  camo  and  told  mo  of 
it.  White  the  pih)t  (who  it  appears  is  about  to  bo  turned  out 
of  his  boat)  came  this  morniii<;  to  Peacock  and  told  him,  that 
both  tlie  French  Frij,'ates  had  taken  Williams  and  Minu{^h  and 
two  Hell  (late  Pilots  on  Ijoard,  and  woukl  certainly  pass 
through  Hell  Gate  the  first  fair  wind.  Yon  will  therefore 
take  yonr  measures  accordingly  —  It  is  added  by  White  that 
tho  french  frigates  will  go  through  this  next  flood  if  the  wind 
will  admit,  and  that  you  cannot  go  out  until  next  tide  —  Per- 
haps the  whole  may  be  a  finesse  to  put  you  out. 

What  fortifies  mo  ir  the  Idea  that  they  are  on  tho  wing,  is 
that  they  have  lately  had  a  press-gang  on  Shore,  who  took  off 
six  men  that  came  to  my  knowledge  and  perhaps  many  more  — 
Four  of  them  they  have  been  compelled  to  restore,  and  meas- 
ures are  taking  for  the  other  two  —  I  wait  only  until  niattors 
are  ripe  to  doveloi)e  this  act  of  violence  to  the  public  — I  send 
this  by  an  express,  that  you  may  be  ready  at  a  moment-- Kely 
on  my  attention. 


.-ft 


TO   CAPTAIN    BRADLEY. 


New  York  3'"  November  1804. 
Sir. 

By  Busliat  at  12  OClock  A  M  this  morning  I  received  your 
three  letters  of  yesterday  and  I  am  happy  to  learn  from  my 
Son  that  ho  saw  both  your  ships  out  at  day  light  this  morn- 
ing—  The  Breeze  is  light  and  favorable  and  I  hope  you  will 
be  at  Montock  Point  in  time  to  intercept  them.     It  is  said 

13* 


ii; 


1!)H 


('ouuespondkn(;e  op  tiiomas  iuiiclay 


Itotli  Fi'ciKih  .ships  touched  in  ^joinj^  throii^rh,  &  that  Ihoy  an- 
chnred  hist  night,  ]»ut  tliis  is  not  oonflnncd. 

Ii(»lh  Mushal  imd  myself  have  l)eon  all  over  to  hire  a  dispat*',!! 
lioat  l)iit  without  success.  At  day  Break  I  was  on  Ijoiipj  Is- 
land to  procure  onc^  <tf  the  lilo(^k  Island  lishinj^  lioats  and  of- 
I'ercd  three  Imiidred  dollars  i)er  Week  to  go  and  coininunicate 
with  you.  The  men  refused  and  said  no  money  wouhl  indu<!0 
them,  as  they  could  never  again  return  to  New  York.  I  an> 
conviiKM'd  every  Itoat  has  Iku'u  l>ril)ed,  or  threat(Mied  not  to  go. 

Hushut  therefore  gcx's  himself  in  his  own  boat — II»^  and 
Stevenson  have  been  iiin'emitted  in  their  «'xei'tions  and  merit 
everything  fi-om  us;  should  I  learn  anything  of  moment  1  will 
give  it  to  you.  If  you  once  get  sight  of  these  ships,  keep  it, 
go  wlicro  they  will. 


TO   VICE-ADMIUAL   Sill  A.   MITCHELL. 


i?    )'■> 


!      ' 


New  York  7  Nov'  ISUl. 
Sue. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  you  that  the  French  Frigates 
Didon  and  ('y^>'^^  proceeded  through  Hell  (late  for  Sea  at  half 
I)ast  four  P  M  on  the  2''  of  this  month,  with  a  fair  Wind,  and 
from  tnci  best  accounts  yet  received,  they  were  seen  on  Satur- 
day '  at  5  0  Clock  P  M  between  Block  and  Long  Island  stand- 
ing to  Sea  —  It  was  then  nearly  calm  and  continued  so  all  night 
early  Sunday  Morning  the  Wind  was  from  the  S  E,  light  airs 
and  thick  foggy  Weather  —  on  Monday  Morning  at  2  o  ('lock 
A  M  the  Wind  came  round  to  N  N  West  and  l)lowc(l  fresh  — 

Captain  Bradley  received  notice  from  me  on  tne  31"'  of  Oc- 
tober of  the  intended  departure  of  those  ships  by  the  way  of 
Hell  Gate,  and  was  kept  constantly  informed  from  that  day 
nntil  they  sailed  —  There  was  reason  to  suspect  the  French 
Ships  intended  merely  the  measure  as  a  feint  to  draw  His  Ma- 
jestys  Ships  to  sea — It  was  therefore  resolved  by  Captain 
Bradley  not  to  proceed  in  pnrsuit  nntil  they  had  got  through 
Hell  Gate.    For  this  purpose  I  had  a  confidential  person  posted 

1  November  od. 


I       I.  ,' 


CONSUL-OKNERAT.,    1H03-18(H 


19!) 


I 


4 


I 


at  Brooklyn  Ilciu'lits  to  ride  down  to  (imvcscnd  (lie  instant  Ik; 
Hiiw  the  Frciicli  Ship  beyond  Hell  (iiilc,  and  to  acqnaint  my 
son  with  it,  who  waited  there  to  eonimuni(^ate  by  sij,'nal  with 
Captain  linidley— At  half  past  flvo  o  ('h)ek  in  the  Kveninj? 
of  that  day  he  arrived  at  (Iravesend,  l)ut  it  was  then  lietween 
day  lif^ht  and  dark  so  tluit  the  Knsi^n  hoisted  on  a  flagstatT 
(•oidd  not  be  distinjj;nished  from  His  Majestys  Ships  layinj;  in 
Sandy  Hook  Hay,  distant  abont  t\.elve  miles  —  M'  Henry  Har- 
elay  the;'  *foro  dispatched  a  boat  to  Captain  Bradley  with  a 
letter  eonfirmin<^  the  departure  of  the  Fremdi  Sliips,  and  im- 
nn^diati'ly  lij^dited  a  fire  the  nij^ht  Sip^nal,  the  (Japtain  of  the 
l*a(!ket  by  my  orders  informed  C'ajjtain  Bradley  wouhl  be 
nuid*?.  The  li^ht  was  observed  on  boai'd  shi}),  but  not  so  satis- 
factorily as  to  induce  Cap'  Bradhsy  to  f^o  to  Sea — At  8  o  C'loek 
however  the  lij^ht  was  distinctly  seen,  and  some  Idne  lif^ht  also 
whic^h  Cap'  Porteous  of  the  Packet  had  broufj^lit  from  tln^  Cam- 
brian, and  the  ))oat  from  my  Son  arrived  at  the  same  time  — 
There  was  then  about  two  hours  flood  remaiuinj;,  and  I  had 
hoped  His  Majestys  Sliips  would  have  gone  out,  as  there  was 
a  very  flr'^  leading  Wind. 

His  Majestys  Ships  however  did  not  get  under  way  until 
near  day  light  of  the  next  day  (the  3'  of  November),  early  that 
Morning  my  Sou  saw  them  standing  to  the  Eastward  with 
every  sail  and  a  leading  but  light  breeze  —  I  dispatched  a 
Schooner  to  watch  the  Enemy  and  communicate  with  His 
Majestys  Ships  off  the  East  end  of  Long  Island  —  "We  have 
had  no  report  respecting  either  Ships,  nor  has  the  Pilot  Boat 
which  attended  the  French  Frigates,  or  the  one  by  me  sent  to 
Cap'  Bradley  returned. 

I  fear  there  is  little  probability  of  His  Majestys  Ships  meet- 
ing the  FreiKjh  Frigates. 


TO  MK.     lAMMOND. 

New  York  9'"  Nov'  1804. 
Sir. 

I  received  on  the  2'  of  this  month  a  letter  from  William 
Bradley  Esii"^  Commanding  His  Majestys  Ship  Cambrian,  on 


'**^-' 


■SR9I 


200 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


i.    \ 


I 


I 

I 


the  subject  of  bus  beinjij  supcrsodcd  in  tbo  comniaiul  of  tluit 
sbip  in  coiise(iuoncc  of  my  letter  to  you  of  tlio  27"'  of  June 
hist,  and  that  the  Seeretary  of  the  Adniiralty  had  by  order  of 
tho -Lords  Coinniissioners  transmitted  a  eoi)y  of  my  Lettcu*  to 
Viee  Admiral  Sir  Andrew  i\Iitehell  ('onunander  in  Chief  of 
His  Majestys  Ships  of  War  on  the  Halifax  Station,  as  the 
•ground  work  of  their  order. ' 

I  am  particularly  pained  tiiat  such  serious  eonsequenees 
have  followed  a  detail  of  facts,  by  me  inteiuied  only  for  the 
information  of  His  Majestys  Ministers  —  Tt  is  true  I  differed 
in  opinion  with  Captain  Bradley  on  his  impressment  of  the 
Men  at  Stateu  Island  from  on  board  the  British  Ship  Pitt, 
and  urged  him  to  restore  thom  in  Avliieh  event  every  other 
complaint  might  have  been  happily  got  over  with  the  Ameri- 
(;an  ({overnment;  but  Captain  Bradley  could  not  persuade 
himself  that  he  had  acted  improperly,  and  the  situation  His 
Majestys  ships  were  then  in,  expecting  any  moment  to  eomt^ 
to  action  with  a  greatly  superior  force  of  the  Enemy,  I  am 
convinced  induced  Captain  ] Bradley  to  consider  he  was  ad- 
vancing His  Majestys  Service  by  retaining  the  men. 

In  justice  to  (^aptain  BraiUey  I  feel  bound  fui'tlier  to  state 
that  from  his  arrival  with  His  Majestys  Ships  in  June  last  to 
their  departure  ou  the  third  of  this  month,  I  know  not  an  in- 
stance (save  the  one  before  mentioned)  in  which  blame  can 
attach  to  him,  ou  any  of  the  complaints  which  may  have  been 
made  by  the  American  Secretary  of  State,  on  the  subject  of 
impressment  of  men,  breach  of  neutrality,  or  infringing  the 
Limits  of  American  Jurisdiction.  The  zeal  and  unwearied 
attention  with  which  he  has  supported  a  tedious  and  dillicult 


1  Ou  tho  lirst  of  Seytombor,  Lord 
Ilarrowby  informotl  Mr.  Moiiroo 
that  tho  British  Govornmoiit  had  dia- 
approvod  Cai)taiu  Bradley's  conduct 
aud  eonsurod  it  by  romoviuR  him 
from  tho  comuiand  and  ordering  him 
homo  to  ac'coinit  for  it.  ]jord  Ilar- 
rowby sa'd,  adds  Mr.  Monroe,  "that 
as  this  stop  had  boon  taken  before 
any  complaint  had  been    received 


from  ourtioveinnicnt,  it  could  not  bo 
viewed  otherwise  than  as  a  strong 
proof  of  tlie  desire  of  His  Majesty  to 
cultivate  tho  friendshipof  the  United 
States ;  to  which  I  readily  assented." 
A  year  later  Monroe  learned  that 
Captain  Bradley  had  been  ai)pointt'd, 
immediately  on  his  return,  to  the 
command  of  a  ship  of  tho  line.  Amer. 
State  Papers,  For.  Kcl.,  Ill,  90,  10(J. 


CONSUL-GENERA  Ti,   1S03-1804 


201 


blockade  of  five  inonUis,  arc  proofs  of  liis  luorit  as  a  Soamaii 
and  an  oITuhm-.  I  liave  tin;  utmost  rospoct  for  him,  and  will 
consider  myself  under  an  oblityation  by  your  ac(iuaintinji:  the 
Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  that  mv  letter  of  the 
27"'  of  June  was  not  iuteiulcd  by  any  nutans  as  a  complaint 
against  Captain  Bradley,  but  for  the  information  of  IFis  Ma- 
jestys  Ministers,  that  they  mi<^h^  1  ])ossessed  of  the  facts, 
■whenever  a  representation  was  nuuic  by  the  American  (Jov- 
ernmeut. 

TO   MK.   MEKllY. 


ad- 


lilnotbo 
strong 
^jesty  to 
5  United 
konted." 
led  that 
|>ointrd, 
lo  tlio 
Amer. 
I 'JO,  100. 


Now  York  10  Nov'  1804. 
Sir. 

I  yesterday  by  the  return  of  the  dispatch  Boat,  received  a 
letter  from  Captaiu  Bradley  the  officer  commamlinjij  His  Ma- 
jcstys  Ships  C'ambrian  aiul  Leander  dated  at  Sea  the  7"'  In- 
stant, wherein  he  informs  nu^  that  he  arrived  at  ten  O  Chx^k 
on  th(^  night  of  the  third  instant  olf  the  East  End  of  Long  Is- 
land, but  that  the  weather  was  so  vcrv  thick,  that  thev  could 
not  see  twice  the  length  of  the  Ship,  and  that  during  the  prev- 
alence of  this  fogg  the  Enemy  had  passed  him.  lie  had 
therefore  resolved  to  proceed  immediately  to  Halifax  Nova 
Scotia  with  both  Ships.' 

I  cannot  but  regret  that  His  Majestys  Ships  did  not  go  to 
Sea,  from  six  in  the  Evening  of  the  2''  until  10  oClock  that 
night  during  all  which  time  the  signal  lire,  which  I  had  in- 
formed Captain  Bradley  would  be  lighted  when  the  Enemy 
had  passed  Ilell  Gate,  was  burning,  and  seen  from  the  Ships. 
At  8  oClock  that  night  Captain  Bradley  received  a  letter 
from  M'  Barclay  my  Son,  at  the  Signal  Port,  giving  him  no- 
tice of  the  departure  of  the  French  Ships,  at  which  tinu',  there 
was  yet  near  two  hours  Hood  tide.  Had  lu^  then  proceeded 
His  Majestys  Ships  would  have  doubled  Montock  point,  the 
East  End  of  Long  Island,  before  sunset  on  Saturday,  and  as 

1  Tho  I'^roiu'li  ships  rcaeliod  I/C)r-  sailod  on  a  l'ii(hiy.  Was  Urailloy's 
icnt  in  Doconibor,  after  a  lino  pas-  laihu'o  to  start  promptly  in  pnrsnit 
sago,  and  this  in  spito  of  their  having    duo  to  superstition  f 


•*- 


■n\ 


W 


202 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


the  weather  was  then  clear  must  have  seen  the  Enemys  ships. 
From  Captain  Bradleys  letter  it  appears,  the  pilot  of  the  Cam- 
brian made  some  demur  about  taking  the  Ship  out  at  night, 
but  I  understand  from  Captain  Skene  of  the  Leander,  that  his 
Pilot  was  not  only  ready  to  carry  her  over  the  Bar,  but  return 
and  conduct  the  Cambrian  also. 


lips, 
am- 
ght, 

t,  his 
turn 


CHAPTER  V 


CONvSUL-GENEKAL,    1801-lHOG 


m 


FROM  Juno  18  to  NovGinber  3, 1804,  tlio  port  of  Now- 
York  had  been  practically  blockaded  by  the  little 
British  squadron  which  had  been  kept  to  watch  the 
Dldon  and  Cijhelc.  Barclay's  correspondence  shows,  be- 
yond a  doubt,  that  the  original  purpose  of  their  visit  was 
purely  military,  and  therefore  perfectly  legitimate ;  but 
they  improved  the  occasion  by  inflicting  injuries  and 
insults  upon  the  commerce  of  a  neutral  port — one  can 
hardly  describe  it  as  a  friendly  one — which  are  almost 
past  belief.  Basil  Hall's  account  of  his  service  as  a  mid- 
shipman aboard  the  Leander  in  this  summer  of  1804  is 
well  known.  "  Every  morning  at  daybreak,"  he  writes, 
"  we  set  about  arresting  the  progress  of  all  the  vessels 
we  saw,  firing  off  guns  to  the  right  and  left  to  make 
every  ship  that  was  running  in  heave  to,  or  wait  until 
we  had  leisure  to  send  a  boat  on  board  '  to  see,'  in  our 
lingo,  'what  she  was  made  of.'  I  have  frequently 
known  a  dozen,  and  sometimes  a  couple  of  dozen,  ships 
lying  a  league  or  two  off  the  port,  losing  their  fair  wind, 
their  tide,  and  worse  than  all  their  market,  for  many 
hours,  sometimes  the  whole  day,  before  our  search  was 
completed."'  The  search  might  result  in  ordering  off 
the  vessel  to  Halifax  for  adjudication,  and  it  almost  in- 
variably did  result  in  adding  two  or  three  likely  men 
to  the  crew  aboard  his  Majesty's  ship.    The  guesses  or 

1  Fragments  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  Cliap.  V. 

203 


• «  'I 


It 


204 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


'I         'it 


m' 

It 

'1 

if 

1 

H 

1 

h'^ 

i 

■, 

1 

1 

1, 

"1 

J 

1 

'  i;  l> 


suspicions  of  British  lieutenants  as  to  the  true  owner- 
ship of  goods,  or  the  nationality  of  a  soaman,  were  prac- 
tically decisive;  for  redress  came  but  seldom,  and  it 
almost  always  came  too  late.  The  sense  of  wrong  felt 
by  ship-owners  and  mariners  was  immensely  aggravated 
by  the  circumstance  that  all  this  was  taking  place  in 
full  sight  of  American  soil,  and  probably  in  many  in- 
stances within  American  jurisdiction. 

But  now,  for  a  time,  the  annoyance  of  a  blockade 
was  over;  and,  indeed,  it  was  never  renewed  in  any 
time  of  peace  for  more  than  a  very  brief  period.  The 
chorus  of  complaints  in  regard  to  "  impressment  within 
American  waters,  maltreatment,  and  imprudent  expres- 
sions" had  produced  its  effect  even  on  the  minds  of 
British  naval  officers.  Since  the  latter  part  of  August 
they  had  exhibited  little  activity.  During  September 
and  October  the  Leandcv  and  Camhrian  had,  for  the 
most  part,  been  lying  snugly  at  anchor  within  the  Hook, 
partly  because  of  protests  and  remonstrances,  and  partly 
because  the  advancing  season  greatlj'-  multiplied  the 
difficulties  of  an  effective  blockade. 

The  coasts  of  New  Jersey  and  Long  Island  trend 
away  to  the  southward  and  eastward,  nearly  at  right 
angles  to  each  other,  and  deep  water  is  generally  to 
be  found  close  inshore.  A  wide  opening  and  a  broad 
stretch  of  sea  was  thus  left  to  be  patroled  by  vessels 
that  watched  outside  the  bar;  and  if  the  British 
cruisers  were  strictly  to  observe  American  neutral- 
ity, and  confine  their  efforts  to  points  distant  three 
miles  from  either  shore,  the  task  of  intercepting  vessels 
that  chose  to  hug  the  beaches  became  almost  hopeless. 
The  longer  nights  and  stormier  weather  of  autumn  also 
greatly  facilitated  the  escape  of  outward-bound  ships, 
whether  American  traders  or  French  frigates.     No 


CONSUL-GENERAL,  1804-180G 


205 


i-itisli 
itral- 


square-rigged  vessc4  could  safely  keep  her  station  close 
outside  the  bav  of  New- York,  in  an  easterly  gale,  so  as 
to  intercept  all  incoming  vessels;  and  the  northwest- 
erly gales  of  winter  would  prevent  her  from  lying  to 
under  canvas,  a  league  or  more  offshore,  in  such  a  po- 
sition as  to  arrest  vessels  who  had  the  choice  of  running 
out  either  to  the  southward  or  eastward. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  French  frigates  had  sailed, 
the  English  gave  up  their  watch  on  the  port.  For 
many  months  there  was  no  further  serious  cause  of 
complaint.  But  the  reckless  proceedings  of  the  summer 
of  1804  had  not  been  forgotten,  and  they  were  to  bear 
bitter  fruit  in  the  increasing  ill-will  with  which  the 
American  people  regarded  the  Government  of  Great 
Britain. 

All  through  the  year  1805,  while  the  great  strategic 
movements  which  culminated  at  Trafalgar  were  going 
on  in  other  waters,  British  squadrons  had  ample  occu- 
pation elsewhere.  In  the  month  of  June  the  Camhriau 
and  Leander  were  once  more  for  a  few  days  off  New- 
York,  accompanied  by  the  sloop-of-war  Busij ;  but, 
with  this  exception,  there  were  only  brief  visits  from 
single  ships.  The  Bevohitionnaire  called  for  Spanish 
dollars  on  February  3 ;  the  Biisf/  came  from  Bermuda 
on  March  6,  with  despatches,  and  sailed  within  a  week 
for  Halifax;  an  armed  schooner  was  oft"  Sandy  Hook 
for  a  few  days  in  May ;  the  Indian  arrived  in  August, 
and  the  Camhrian  early  in  November,  remaining  each 
but  a  short  time;  and  the  Busij  called  again  on  De- 
cember G,  with  despatches.  There  was  no  attempt  at 
a  repetition  of  the  blockade  of  1804,  and  the  year  passed 
here  without  special  incident.  American  vessels  were, 
indeed,  searched  and  seamen  impressed,  but  it  would 
be  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  there  was,  in  1805,  any- 


1* 


Mr 


(!! 


'.  * 


20G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


thing  like  a  continuous  watch  kept  by  ;ho  British  upon 
the  commerce  of  this  port.' 

In  the  spring  of  1806,  the  Camhrlan  and  Leander 
a  third  time  appeared  off  Saudy  Hook,  this  time  in 
company  with  the  sloop-of-war  Driver.  Their  unwel- 
come presence  was  tragically  signalized  by  the  killing 
of  an  American  citizen  by  a  shot  from  the  Leander^ 
and  their  visit  was  brought  to  a  sudden  end. 

Meanwhile,  during  these  years  of  1805  and  1806,  Bar- 
clay's domestic  affairs  were  prosperous.  Henry,  his 
eldest  son,  entered  into  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Henry 
C.  liumsey,  "  a  wholesale  Silk  mercer."  De  Lancey  left 
the  17th  Dragoons  and  got  a  commission  as  Captain  in 
the  56th  Regiment  of  Foot.  Thomas,  after  serving  in  the 
Boston  and  Impetiicux  under  Captain  Douglas,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant,  and  joined  the  North- 
umhi'rland  under  Admiral  Cochrane."  George  and 
Anthony  were  still  at  school  in  Nova  Scotia. 

One  sad  event  occurred.  Susan,  who  had  married 
Mr.  Stuyvesant  in  the  summer  of  1803,  died  within 
eighteen  months  of  her  marriage,  when  not  quite 
twenty  years  old,  in  her  new  house  in  Partition  (Ful- 
ton) street.  Her  death  threw  a  great  shadow  over  this 
period  of  Barclay's  career;  and  it  made  a  deep  and 
lasting  impression  on  his  mind. 

His  home,  imtil  the  summer  of  1806,  continued  to  be 
in  New- York,  except  when  the  yellow  fever  again  drove 
him  for  a  few  weeks  into  the  country.  This  time  he 
found  refuge  at  Elizabeth,  in  New  Jersey,  and  he  re- 


1  Into  this  mistake  both  Mr.  Adams  2  De  Lancey  Barclay's  comii^ission 

and  Professor  McMaster  have  fallen,  as  Captain  in  H.  M.  Army  bore  date 

Adams's  Hist,  of  the  U.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  April  24,  1805;   Thomas's  as  Lieu- 

pp.  91,  92;  Mcilaster's  Hist,  of  the  tenant  in  the  navy,  Se]>tember  11, 

U.  S.,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  236,  240.  1805. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1806 


207 


I 


mainod  there  from  about  September  12  to  October  22, 
1805.  In  June,  180G,  Barclay  gave  up  his  Greenwich 
street  residence  and  moved  into  the  country,  in  the 
Town  of  Harlaem,  about  seven  miles  from  the  city; 
and  there,  for  the  next  ten  years,  his  family  continued 
to  live.  His  house,  with  its  ten  acres  of  ground,  lay  in 
a  pleasant  suburb  near  the  East  Eiver.  It  was  situated 
on  both  sides  of  the  present  lino  of  First  Avenue,  and 
extended  from  about  108th  to  llStli  street.  It  cost 
£5500  New- York  currency,  or  $13,750. 

These  two  peaceful  years  in  New- York  were  eventful 
enough  in  the  world's  history.  Jefferson  was  reelected 
President.  Burr's  term  as  Vice-President  ended,  and 
he  fell  to  hatching  his  mad  conspiracy.  Pitt  died.  The 
victories  of  Austerlitz  and  Jena  gave  Napoleon  the  mas- 
tery of  Europe.  The  victory  of  Trafalgar  gave  Eng- 
land the  absolute  control  of  the  sea. 


TO  THE  COLLECTOK,  NAVAL  OFFICER,  AND  SURVEYOR  OF 
THE  PORT  OF  NEW- YORK. 


aii^ission 

bore  date 

IS  Lieu- 

iber  11, 


New  York  lO'"  Nov'  1804 
Gentlemen. 

The  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  having  ordered  Captain  Beres- 
ford  of  the  Royal  Navy  to  proceed  to  America  to  take  the 
command  of  His  Britannic  Majestys  Ship  of  War  Cambrian, 
Captain  Beresford  in  obedience  to  those  orders  arrived  not 
long  since  at  Norfolk  in  Virginia  in  His  Majestys  Sliip  of  War 
Revolntionnaire.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  Norfolk,  the 
Cambrian  was  off  and  on  this  Port,  and  Captain  Beresfords 
baggage  and  Stores  were  put  on  board  an  American  coaster  in 
Hampton  Roads  for  the  purpose  of  being  conveyed  to  the 
Cambrian.  Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  coaster  off  this 
Port,  not  only  the  Cambrian  but  the  Leander  had  sailed  for 


fi; 


I 


208 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


!      /^ 


il     i 


1  i 


Halifax  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  Captain  Bcrosfords  Baj]^gape  and 
Stores  in  which  arc  included  seven  hogsheads,  one  (luartcr 
cask  and  thirty  dozen  of  Madeira  Wine,  were  brought  up  to 
this  city,  and  are  now  on  board  the  coaster.  Captain  Bercs- 
ford  wishes  to  have  permission  to  remove  them  from  thence 
on  l)oard  a  schooner  which  ho  has  chartered  to  carry  his  bag- 
gage and  stores  to  Halifax,  free  from  the  Ajuerican  duties  to 
which  the  Wines  have  undoubtedly  become  liable  by  the  un- 
expected departure  of  the  (^ambrian.  —  Permit  me  to  request 
you  Gentlemen  will  be  pleased  to  grant  a  permit  for  the  above 
purpose:  The  liberality  of  the  American  Government  I  trust 
will  prevent  an  exaction  of  duties  on  articles  composing  the 
Stores  of  a  naval  officer  casually  arriving  in  transit  within  its 
Jurisdiction.! 


1 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


ii'  I  i 


New  York  20"'  November  1804 

Sir. 

By  this  day's  post  I  have  received  your  No  37,  covering  a 
draft  made  by  G.  Simpson  Cashier  of  the  Bank  of  the  United 
States  on  the  Cashier  of  the  office  of  discount  and  deposit  in 
this  City  in  your  favor  for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  and  by  you  indorsed  to  me,  also  a  form  of  the  receipt 
I  am  to  take  in  triplicate  on  delivering  tlxe  above  amount  in 
gold  to  Captain  Hotham  Commander  of  His  Majesty's  Ship 
Revolutionnaire  — 

I  have  had  a  confidential  communication  with  the  Cashier 
of  the  office  of  discount  &  deposit  in  this  City,  who  purposes 
if  it  meets  your  approbation  to  pay  the  whole  in  British  and 
Portugal  Gold,  but  by  far  the  greater  proportion  in  British — 
There  is  very  little  French  Gold  in  the  Bank  here. — 

1  Captain  Beresf  ord  did  not  go  to  Beresf  ord   and    bis    Madeira  then 

Halifax,  but  remained  in  New-York  joined  her  and  proceeded  at  once 

until  about  December  23,  when  the  to  the  West  Indies. 
Cambrian    arrived    here.      Captain 


>  r 


h 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1800 


209 


TO  MR.  MERRY. 


New  York  0'"  Dee/  1804. 


8lR. 


The  Spanish  and  French  coins,  as  I  have  before  noticed  are 
in  very  good  order,  having  snflfered  little  or  no  niutiUition,  the 
proportion  of  French  is  very  trifling. —  The  British  Gold  is 
also  tolerabl}'  good,  the  one  half  at  least  standard  weight,  bnt 
the  Portugal  Gold  is  abominably  clipped,  sweated,  and  muti- 
lated, and  at  least  one  fourth  i)art  of  it  consists  of  half  Johan- 
nes made  from  Spanish  Gold,  for  the  West  India  market  or 
plugged  half  Johanno  . —  These  are  returned  and  other  good 
gold  given  in  their  place. —  The  selection  of  these  is  difficult 
and  occupies  much  time.  I  however  hope  the  whole  will  be 
examined  and  packed  by  Tuesday  or  Wednesday  next. —  M'' 
Burrell  is  very  polite  and  accommodating. 

I  have  by  two  conveyances  notified  Vice  Admiral  Sir  An- 
drew Mitchell  of  the  arrival  of  the  Poursuivante  (now  called 
the  President)  in  the  Chesepeak  —  and  shall  by  the  next  op- 
portunity acquaint  him  with  Captain  Ilothams  situation. — 
Captain  Beresford  who  is  still  here,  has  requested  the  Admiral 
to  send  the  Cambrian  to  this  place  for  him,  and  also  notified 
him  of  the  Poursuivante :  he  tells  me  he  expects  her  here  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days. 


I 


Ship 


Isli  and 


ira  then 
at  once 


TO   MRS.   MARGARET  DE  LANCEY. 

New  York  31  Jan'  1805. 
Dear  Madam. 

The  inclosed  letter  I  received  yesterday  from  the  Attorney 
employed  to  collect  the  Debts  due  the  late  General  Hamilton, 
who  I  retained  as  your  Counsel  against  this  State. —  This  charge 
stands  in  the  Generals  books  in  addition  to  the  hundred  dol- 
lars originally  paid  him  by  me ;  and  of  course  ought  to  be  paid. 
I  have  therefore  discharged  it,  and  will  thank  you  to  pay  my 
draft  in  favor  of  Messrs.  Brook  Watson  &  Co :  for  that  amount 
on  you. 

14 


210 


CORRESPONnRNCn  OF  THOMAS  nARriiAY 


Mrs.  liuivlay,  myself  aud  family,  iiro  in  exti'omo  distross  by 
the  death  of  my  lovely  and  most  amiable  daughter  Mrs.  Stuy- 
vesant  who  died  on  the  14  of  this  month  —  She  had  not  yet  at- 
tained her  twentieth  year. —  I  do  not  say  too  much  when  1  add 
that  sh(>  was  in  mind  and  appearance  one  of  the  fu'st  of  Wo- 
men, and  in  duty  and  affcetion  the  l)est  of  Children. —  You 
my  dear  Madam  can  and  I  am  sure  will  feel  for  us. 


TO   JAMES   FAIKLIE,    DEPUTY   MAYOK. 

New  Y(n-k  7  March  1805. 
Si  n. 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  this  day,  on  the  subject  of 
James  Smith,  Richard  Jenkins,  James  Stokcly,  James  Bailey, 
James  Woodworth  and  many  other  Citizens  of  the  United 
States  of  America  composing  the  crew  of  the  American  Ship 
Manhattan  bound  from  Batavia  to  this  I'ort  having  been  im- 
pressed in  February  last  at  Sea  by  the  Commander  of  His 
Britannic  Majestys  Sloop  of  War  Busy,  and  that  they  are  un- 
lawfully detained  on  board  the  said  Sloop  now  in  this  Har- 
bour ;  and  that  these  facts  have  been  verified  to  you  under 
oath.i 

Permit  mo  to  assure  you  that  it  is  not  oidy  contrary  to  the 
orders  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  to  impress,  but  to  the 
wishes  of  the  Commanders  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of  War  to 
detain  an  American  Seaman.  But  it  is  a  fact  too  notorious 
to  have  escaped  your  knowledge,  tliat  many  of  His  Majestys 
Subjects  are  furnished  with  American  Protection,  to  which 
they  have  no  right  or  title  — 


1  Tho  Manhattiin  belonged  to  Fred- 
erick and  Philip  KhineUuider,  and 
was  chartorod  by  Minturn  &  Champ- 
liu  for  a  voyage  to  Batavia  and  back. 
On  her  return,  with  a  cargo  of  sugar, 
coffee,  indigo,  and  spices,  she  was 
captured  by  H.  M.  brig  Busy,  on  tho 


alleged  ground  that  she  carried  a 
Dutch  passenger  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  She  was  sent  in  to 
Bermuda,  but  ordered  to  be  restored 
by  tho  Vice-Admiralty  Court.  See 
Amer.  State  Papers,  For.  Rel.,  Vol. 
II,  p.  765. 


CONS  UL-(  J  KN  F,  R  AT,,    1  H()4- 1  S(  )(i 


211 


ss  by 
St,\iy- 
M  iit- 
1  add 
f  Wo- 
-Yoti 


1805. 

)jcet  of 
Bailey, 
United 
an  Sliip 
•een  ini- 
of  His 
are  nn- 
lis  Ilav- 
ii  under 


to  tlic 

to  the 

iWar  to 

)torious 

[ajestys 

wliicli 


larn 


ed  a 


Capo  of 

|>nt   in  to 

restored 


iel.,  Vol. 


Capt  Binni  of  flu^  liritish  Slo()[»  of  War  now  in  tills  Port 
lias  on  board,  I  boliuve,  tliirtt'un  men  of  tlie  CrtiW  whicdi  sailed 
in  the  Manliattnn  from  Hatavia,  and  which  lie  took  out  of 
that  S]ii[>  when  lie  sent  her  to  the  Vice  Court  of  Admiralty  at 
Bermuda  for  adjudication.  Tliere  can  be  no  (question  at  pre.s- 
ent  as  to  thes((  men,  because  tlie  owners,  or  rather  the  (len- 
tlemen  who  chartered  \\n)  Ship  Mess"  ^Minturn  and  Champlin 
have  reipu'sted  ('apt  Biam  to  take  these  men  witli  him  to  Ber- 
muda, in  order  that  they  may  navijjate  the  Maidiattan  from 
thence  to  this  Port  in  the  event  of  her  bein}?  released  bv  the 
Vice  ('Ourt  of  Admiralty,  which  in  their  and  my  opinion  is 
probable,  allhouj^'h  a  part  of  the  (^argo  may  l)e  condemned  — 
These  men  are  bound  to  perform  the  Voyage,  and  Captain 
Biani  is  eipially  bound  to  see  them  forth  conung  if  the  ship  is 
restored  —  under  these  circumstances  j'ou  will  I  trust  be  of 
opinion  that  they  cannot  be  discharged  here  —  Still  Sir  to  in- 
sure the.  readiness  of  Captain  Biam  to  comply  with  your  re- 
([uest  —  lie  is  willing  in  the  event  of  a  regular  release  to  him 
from  the  owners  of  the  Manhattan,  the  Underwi-iters  and  the 
freighters  of  that  shij),  to  discharge  forthwith  such  of  the  men 
as  are  bona  fide  Americans. 


TO   JIR.   HAMMOND. 

New  York  13"'  March  1805. 
Sir. 

By  this  days  southern  mail  I  have  received  information  that 
Jerome  Bonaparte  his  Lady  &  a  female  companion  of  hers, 
with  several  Servants,  will  or  rather  have  embarked  on  board 
the  Ship  Erin  Cap*  Stephenson  ladeued  with  flour,  &  was  to 
sail  about  the  10"'  Ins*  from  Baltimore  probably  for  Lisbon.^ 
The  Erin  sails  very  fast,  &  was  lately  employed  by  the  Span- 

1  The  Erin  sailed  from  Baltimore  dam ;   but  not  being  permitted  to 

on  Mareh  11,  and  arrived  at  Lisbon  land,  went   to  London,  where  her 

safely  on  Aprils.  Jerome  Bonaparte  child  was  born  .hily  7.    She  returned 

there  parted  from   his    wife,   who  with  the  child  to  the  United  States 

sailed  in  the  Erin  again  to  Amster-  in  the  autumn  of  this  year. 


(tl 


\ 


212 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


/ 


ish  minister  at  Lisbon  to  carry  dispatches  to  Cuba  &  Porto 
Kico,  from  whence  she  came  to  Baltimore  &  has  been  linstily 
prepared  to  carry  Bonaparte  &  liis  family  — 

I  have  thoiif^ht  proper  to  give  you  this  information  in  the 
Event  of  its  being  thought  necu'ssary  by  His  Majesty's  Miuis- 
t»u*  to  have  an  attempt  made  to  intercept  him  — Will  you  do 
me  the  honor  to  lay  the  above  before  Lord  Mulgrave?^ 


TO  VIC  i-ADMIRAL  SIR  JOHN  ORDE." 


BRITISH  CONSUL  GENERALS  OFFICE 


New  York  IT  March  1805. 


Sir. 

I  have  this  day  received  information,  that  Jurome  Bona- 
parte, Brother  to  the  Emperor,  his  Lady,  a  female  companion 
and  his  domestics,  were  on  the  10"'  Instant  to  embark  on 
board  the  Ship  Erin,  Stephenson  Master,  at  Baltimore  for  Lis- 
bon ;  but  possibly  for  some  other  European  Port. 

It  is  not  long  since  that  the  Erin  was  chartered  by  the  Span- 
ish Minister  at  Lisbon  to  carry  out  dispatches  to  the  Havan- 
nah  and  Porto  Rico,  having  delivered  them,  she  came  to  Bal- 
timore, where  she  has  taken  a  cargo,  or  part  cargo  of  flour, 
and  has  been  hurried  to  sail  with  all  speed  with  Bonaparte. 

She  is  a  fine  small  Ship,  sails  very  fast,  bright  sides,  white 
bottom,  black  Wales,  yellow  (Inn  wale,  dead  eyes  yellow,  no 
bull  work  a  midship,  aw'  a  figure  liead.^ 

I  have  thought  it  proper  to  give  you  this  information,  that 
you  may  have  it  in  your  power  to  intercept  them. — 


1  Lord  Mulgi-ave  had  succeeded 
Lord  Harrowby  as  Foreign  Secre- 
tary Tipon  Addiiigton's  joining  Pitt's 
Ministry,  January  11,  1805. 

2  Commanding  the  British  Squad- 
ron blockading  Cadiz. 

•*  The  Erin  was  captured  a  year 


or  so  later  by  H.  M.  S.  Leopard,  and 
Basil  Hall  put  aboard  of  her  as  prize- 
master.  "  I  certainly  never  saw  a 
more  perfect  model  of  a  merchant 
vessel ,"  he  wrote,  "or  one  more  com- 
modiously  fitted  up."  Fragments  of 
Voyages  and  Travels,  Chap.  xvii. 


[istily 

ill  tho 
Minis- 
oil  do 


iTICE 
1805. 

>  Bona- 
iipanion 
jark  on 
for  liis- 

|ie  Span- 
Ilavau- 
to  Bal- 
.f  flour, 
[parte. 
|S,  wliite 
lllow,  no 

Ion,  that 

[pard,  and 
V  as  prizo- 
Ver  saw  a 
|mercbant 
aore  com- 
^ments  of 
xvii. 


4 


I 


CON.SUL-OENERAL,   1804-180(5 


TO  MR.   MERRY. 


213 


NewYorkl8"'M)irch  1805 

Tho  Colloctorof  the  Customs  iufornu'd  moon  Saturday  that 
lie  liad  not  olTiinally  received  n  eopy  of  tho  "A(;t  for  tlio  more 
"  effoctua'  ,)reservati()n  of  Peace  in  the  I'orts  and  Harbours  of 
"  tlie  Univ  d  States  and  in  tlio  Waters  under  tlieir  Jurisdic;- 
"tion":  nor  any  rules,  instructions,  orders,  or  directions  for 
th(f  carrying?  the  objects  of  tliis  act  into  effect  from  the  Pre^i- 
dent  of  the  United  States,  or  otherwise.^  lie  has  assured  mo 
tliat  on  receiviufif  any  communication  on  t.as  Subject  he  will 
give  me  the  earliest  notice,  and  permit  me  to  peruse  them,  un- 
less they  are  of  a  nature  not  to  be  divulj^ed  — 

I  shall  take  occasion  from  time  to  time  to  enquire  of  him 
whether  he  has  received  any  instructions,  and  j?ive  you  the 
earliest  notice  of  their  extent  — 

There  will  bo  no  conveyance  from  hence  to  Bermuda  in  less 
than  eif^fhtecn  or  twenty  days ;  so  that  it  is  more  than  probable 
mat  Vi(!e  Admiral  Sir  Andrew  Mitclicll  with  his  whole  Squad- 
ron will  have  left  tliat  place  for  the  Season,  b'.^fcre  your  letter 
for  him  arrives  —  You  will  have  time  to  give  me  further  direc- 
tions with  respect  to  it.  In  the  interval,  I  shall  by  every  ves- 
sel j^oing  to  tho  West  Indies,  write  a  line  addressed  to  the  Ad- 
miral or  an)'  of  the  Commanders  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of 
War  and  desire  them  not  to  come  within  Sandy  Hook,  until 
they  lirst  communicate  with  mo.     There  can  be  little  doubt, 


1  This  act  was  approved  March  3, 
1805.  A  brief  suininary  of  its  pro- 
visions will  bo  found  in  Adams's 
Hist,  of  tho  U.  S.,  Vol.  II,  p.  397. 
AmoHR  other  things,  tho  act  author- 
ized the  arrest  of  offenders  against 
Amoricau  laws  when  found  on  board 
foreign  armed  vessels,  and  re<iuired 
such  vessels  to  report  to  tho  Col- 
lector of  tho  port  and  obey  hii'  di- 
rections ;  and  tho  President  was  re- 
quired to  give,  "  as  doon  as  may  be," 
instructions  to  all  Collectors,  U.  S. 
u* 


Marshals,  and  other  officers,  as  to 
their  duties  under  this  act.  Mr. 
Merry's  "  inquietude  "  with  regard 
to  the  clause  of  tho  act  permitting 
the  arrest  of  foreign  officers  for  "any 
tort  or  trespass''  on  an  American 
vessel  on  the  high  seas,  or  "  any  un- 
lawful interruption  or  vexation  of 
trading  vessels,"  is  described  in  Mr. 
JIadison's  instructions  to  Mr.  Mon- 
roe of  March  G,  1805.  Amor.  State 
Papers,  For.  Kel.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  100. 


ji 


n»"- 


By '  I 


ll: 

J 

1 

1 

i 

u 

1 

ll 

214 


CORRESrONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


but  oiu>  of  my  k'tters  will  bo  received  in  the  course  of  teu  days 
or  a  fortnight  — 


I    :-■ 


TO   VICE-ADMIIIAL   SIR  ANDREW   RTITCIIELL. 

New  York,  125  March  1805 
Sir, 

I  take  it  for  granted  Mr.  Merry  has  mentioned  to  you  the 
very  extraordinary  act  passed  at  the  last  session  of  Congress, 
with  his  opinion  on  it  —  You  will  perceive  from  the  general 
tenor  of  this  act,  particularly  the  4,  5,  (!,  7  and  last  Sections, 
that  it  will  bo  hazardiug  too  much  to  permit  Ilis  Majestys 
Ships  of  War  to  enter  any  of  the  American  Ports  until  an  ex- 
planation has  taken  place  between  the  two  Governinents  —  By 
several  conveyances  to  the  West  Indies  I  have  addressed  let- 
ters to  you  or  any  of  the  Commanders  of  His  iNlajestys  Ships 
of  War  advising  them  of  this  act,  and  recommending  the  lay- 
ing off  and  on  an  American  Port  until  you  or  they  communi- 
cated with  Ilis  Majestys  Minister  at  Washington,  or  the  resi- 
dent British  Consul,  where  the  Ship  may  arrive  —  I  have 
1  aken  the  liberty  to  inclose  you  the  act,  as  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve it  is  not  in  either  of  Mr.  INIerry's  letters. 

I  also  inclose  you  this  day's  paper  by  which  you  will  learn 
the  ii.npleasant  account  of  the  arrival  of  a  French  Squadron  in 
the  West  Indios.^ 


TO  JOHN   MiKENZIE. 

New  York  2'  April  1805 

Dear  Sir, 

You  will  naturally  be  surprized  at  my  Silence,  which  has 
even  exceeded  the  limit  I  wished,  but  the  situation  of  my 
mind  for  some  months  past  has  prevented  my  writing  except 
in  cases  of  emergency  ;  and  as  your  cause  before  the  Chancel- 

1  This  was  Missiossy's  S(iiiadroii,  whicli  roachetl  Martiniquo  February  '20. 


•'    h 


., 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1 SOG 


215 


\\  IS05 

dc'h  has 

of  my 

^  except 

]hanccl- 

Iruary  -0. 


lor  was  not  docidod  until  Thursday  last  I  doforrod  writinj]: 
havinjj;  nothiuj;  satisfactory  to  coniniunicatc.^ 

Tho  chancellor  has  not  without  diflicnlty  at  last  decreed 
the  lands  to  nie  in  trust  to  be  sold  for  your  henelit.  I 
shall  oflfer  them  immediatelv  for  sale,  but  liands  are  so 
low  and  money  scarce  that  I  fear  they  cannot  be  disposed 
t)f  to  advantajfe. 

Mrs.  Barclay,  myself  and  family  are  under  the  deepest 
alHiction  for  Ihe  loss  of  my  lovely  and  most  amiable  daufj^hter 
Mrs.  8tu3'vesant  who  died  in  January,  and  before  she  had  at- 
tained her  twentieth  year. —  Her  death  was  occasioned  by  a 
premature  delivery  of  her  first  child,  still  born.  She  died  four 
days  after,  but  suffered  inexpressible  pain  —  To  lose  such  a 
child,  with  such  ilatterinj;;  ju'ospects,  and  in  such  a  manner  is 
:nore  than  human  nature  can  support  —  Within  the  short  pe- 
liod  of  IS  months,  two  most  beloved  children  have  (wpired  in 
my  arms. —  Parents  never  were  blessed  with  more  dutiful, 
correct  and  every  way  promising  children  —  You  who  ai'c  a 
father  can  and  as  a  friend  I  am  sure  will  feel  for  me  —  God 
grant  you  may  never  taste  of  that  (!up  of  which  so  large  a 
portion  has  been  mine. 

When  you  go  up  to  London,  I  wish  you  would  take  occasion 
to  say  to  some  of  the  printupal  underwriters  at  Lloyds,  that 
they  are  shamefully  defrauded  in  this  C'ity,  under  tlu^  exinise 
of  an  averaged  loss  upon  danuiged  goods  —  That  n<»tliing  is 
more  easy  than  t*>  procure  the  Port  Wardens  to  mark  the 
goods  as  damaged  —  It  is  the  daily  practise  when  nu'rchandi/e 
arrives  to  a  Li«J  market,  or  the  importer  is  in  want  of  (!ash  — 
the  veiy  importer  often  buys  them  in  at  50  per  Cent  under 
first  costs  —  If  one  bale  is  injured  ten  others  not  injun^d  are 

Every  merchant  of  respectabil- 


,S()ld  under  the  averaged  loss 


1  Mr.  McKonzio  was  a  merchant 
in  En^Jtlninl  wlio  had  a  claim  against 
Ihcostat.  if  Colonel  McClrogor.  Mc- 
Konzio  authorized  John  Munro,  of 
Now- York,  to  collect  or  settle  the 
debt,  which  ho  did  by  taking  a  con- 
voyauco  of  certain  lands  from  Mc- 


tirogor's  tmsteea  ;  but  Munro  dying 
soon  after,  iTitestato,  the  title  to  the 
lands  vested  in  his  hoirs,  and  the 
suit  in  (iuestiou  was  brought  to  have 
a  trust  declared  in  respect  to  tho 
properly  and  to  have  a  now  trustee 
appointed. 


^1 


ffTT^ 


1^"    ! 


216 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


ity  in  this  City  speaks  of  the  impositions  practised  on  the 
British  underwriters  —  The  Evil  will  eontinne  while  there  is 
no  person  authorized  to  counteract  the  conduct  of  the  Port 
Wardens,  and  to  act  as  the  agent  for  the  underwriters.  You 
will  perceive  that  it  is  the  interest  of  the  Port  Wardens  to 
condemn  goods  whenever  they  can,  because  they  receive  two 
per  Cent  on  the  sales,  which  constitutes  the  principal  profits 
of  their  office. 

Do  me  the  favor  to  communicate  this  to  the  Gentlemen  at 
Lloyds  and  to  Mr.  John  Gladstone  and  the  other  merchants 
at  Liverpool. 


III 


) 


TO  CAPTAIN  CHAUNCEY/ 

New  York  2""  April  1805 
Sir, 

Samuel  Balfour  master  of  the  British  Brig  Culmar  and  Pe- 
ter Brown  master  of  the  British  Ship  Cecilia  have  represented 
to  me  that  an  apprenti(;e  Boy  of  Capt.  Balfour  named  John 
Garnly,  and  an  articled  Boy  of  Capt.  Brown,  named  John 
Hamilton  both  British  Subjects  have  entered  and  noAV  are  on 
board  the  United  States  Ship  of  War  John  Adams  in  this  Port 
and  under  your  command  —  That  they  have  applied  for  the 
re-delivery  of  their  Boys  and  are  told  by  Lieut.  Maxwell  that 
they  would  not  be  restored  until  all  expenses  were  paid. —  It 
is  unnecessary  for  me  to  make  a  remark  on  the  impropriety  of 
such  an  answer. —  That  the  American  Government  have  a 
right  to  receive  on  board  their  ships  British  Seamen  who  de-. 
sert  from  British  Ships,  is  a  position  that  can  never  be  main- 
tained; and  it  follows,  that  on  discovery  they  ought  to  be 
restored —  Permit  me  therefore  to  request  you  will  be  pleased 
to  direct  that  tlie  Boys  above  mentioned  may  be  delivered  to 

1  K^aac  Chauncey,  at  this  time  before  Tripoli,  aud  was  to  attain 
commtiuding  the  sloop  John  Adams,  wider  distinction  in  the  War  of  1812 
had  already  distinguished  himself    by  his  services  on  Lake  Ontario. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-L806 


217 


their  respective  masters,  without  any  charge,  as  that '  ule  can- 
not be  admitted :  nor  is  it  ever  practised  in  the  British  Navy  — 
I  am  under  the  necessity  to  acquaint  you  further  tliat  four 
Boys  have  deserted  from  His  Majesty's  Packet  Queen  Char- 
lotte now  in  this  Port  and  ready  to  sail  to-morrow,  and  that 
they  have  been  entered  on  board  your  Ship.  Be  pleased  to 
inform  me  whether  you  will  deliver  them  to  the  captain  or 
nuister  of  tne  Packet  if  they  wait  on  you  for  that  purpose. 
They  are  assuredly  on  board  your  ship,  the  fact  has  been 
proved  to  me  — 


TO   CAPTAIN   CHAUNCEY. 


\    |) 


Sir. 


New  York  4"*  April  1805. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  yesterday  and  beg  your  acceptance  of  my  best  acknowledge- 
ments for  your  ready  compliance  with  my  request — 

I  should  certainly  have  made  my  first  application  to  yoii  re- 
specting the  British  Seamen,  had  not  Captain  Balfour  of  the 
(fulmar  and  Capt.  Brown  of  the  Cecilia  told  me  that  the  offi- 
cer commanding  on  board  the  United  States  Ship  John  Adams 
had  referred  them  to  Lieut.  Maxwell  the  regulating  officer  at 
the  Rendezvous  here  of  tliat  Ship,  and  that  Lieut.  Maxwell 
had  told  tliem,  the  men  would  not  be  given  up  until  the  ad- 
vance money  and  all  other  expenses  were  paid.  On  this  in- 
formation I  thought  it  uimecessary  to  apply  to  you,  under  a 
supposition  that  you  were  under  such  orders  from  the  Ameri- 
can Secretary  of  the  Navy  —  The  speedy  departure  of  His 
Majesty's  Packet  rendered  it  necessary  for  me  to  apply  to  the 
Mayor  as  well  as  yourself,  because  in  the  event  of  their  not 
being  restored,  I  should  have  been  obliged  to  have  taken  affi- 
davits of  the  Facts  —  I  took  it  for  granted  that  the  Mayor  had 
no  control  over  you  or  in  Naval  matters,  yet  it  appeared  prob- 
able to  me  that  his  recommendation  would  add  weight  to  my 
application. 


f 


ii 


mi'il 


\t 

;■ 

jli 

, 

If 

i 

218 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Yoiir  experience  in  every  instance  where  yon  have  met  witL 
Officers  of  His  Britannic  Majesty's  Navy,  renders  it  nnneces- 
sary  for  me  to  say  with  what  ploasnro  they  render  the  Ameri- 
can Naval  Officers  every  aid  in  their  power  and  I  am  gratified 
by  tlie  very  liandsome  and  polite  manner  in  whicli  yon  have 
been  pleased  to  express  similar  sentiments  toward  them,  and 
your  readiness  to  support  a  continuance  of  the  present  good 
Understanding  which  subsists  between  our  respective  G overn- 
ments. 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 

New  York,  IC"  April  1805. 

{Private.) 
Dear  Sir. 

I  am  much  obliged  by  your  private  letter  of  the  13"'  of  this 
Month,  and  for  your  general  justification  of  my  proceedings 
respecting  the  Crew  of  the  Manhattan,  and  my  Correspon- 
dence with  the  Deputy  Mayor  of  this  City  on  the  Subject,  to 
which  it  appears  the  American  Secretary  of  State  has  thought 
proper  to  except,  and  to  transmit  you  a  formal  Complaint. — 
Wherever  His  Majesty's  Interest,  and  that  of  the  Nation  are 
involved,  I  shall  always  consider  it  my  duty  to  speak  the 
truth,  however  unpleasant  it  may  be  to  those  who  hear  or  feel 
it ;  an  opposite  line  of  Conduct  Avill  gain  little  in  this  Coun- 
try, where  politeness  is  too  generally  supposed  to  originate  in 
timidity,  &  accommodation  in  Servility.  The  French  know 
better  how  to  treat  the  Americans. 

You  will  be  pleased  to  observe  that,  that  point  of  my  letter 
which  appears  to  have  given  the  greatest  offence  and  of  which 
you  have  given  mo  an  extract,  was  in  reply  to  the  demand  of 
the  Deputy  Mayor,  that  every  Seaman  on  board  His  Majesty's 
Sloop  Busy  from  the  Manhattan  possessed  of  a  Certificate  of 
American  Citizenship  should  immediately  be  set  at  liberty: 
upon  this  principle,  that  these  Certificates  were  evidence  of 
their  being  American  Citizens,  until  the  Contrary  was  proved. 
It  became  necessary  to  resist  tliis  position,  &  in  my  opinion, 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1806 


219 


not  improper  in  my  reply,  to  state  the  above  abuses  in  the 
granting  of  those  Certificates.  The  Doctrine  set  up  by  the 
Deputy  Mayor  wonkl  be  productive  of  serious  consequences 
to  His  Majesty's  Service,  &  Oifectually  preclude  the  Comman- 
ders of  Ships  of  War  from  recovering  a  British  Seaman  pos- 
sessed of  one  of  these  Certificates.  It  is  a  claim  admirably 
adapted  to  the  carrying  into  effect  the  act  for  the  better  pres- 
ervation of  Peace  in  the  Ports  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Waters  within  their  Jurisdiction. —  Let  the  Scotch  accent  or 
Irish  Brogue,  be  ever  so  strong  it  is  to  have  no  weight,  where 
opposed  to  a  Certificate  of  Citizenship.  Passing  over  in  silence 
the  innumerable  instances  where  British  Subjects  within  a 
month  after  their  arrival  in  these  States  obtain  Certificates, 
permit  me  to  remind  you,  that  by  a  Law  of  these  States,  a 
residence  of  five  years  entitles  a  man  to  a  Certificate  of  Citi- 
zenship. The  United  States  have  a  right  to  enact  wh.it  laws 
they  please,  but  it  rests  with  His  Majesty  whether  he  will 
suffer  them  to  operate  in  violation  of  his  rights.  If  Congress 
have  a  right  to  say  five  years  residence  shall  create  a  foreigner 
a  Citizen,  in  such  an  absolute  manner  as  not  to  be  reclaimed 
by  the  power  to  which  he  originally  belonged — They  may 
with  the  same  propriety  enact  the  moment  a  foreigner  sets 
foot  in  these  States,  he  becomes  ipso  facto,  an  American  Citi- 
zen &  to  be  protected  as  such  —  The  Documents  which  I  have 
already  furnished  you  prove  the  indiscriminate  use  of  those 
Certificates,  and  I  might  appeal  to  the  Commander  of  the 
American  Ships  of  War  whether  the  major  part  of  their  crews 
have  not  been  natives  of  Great  Britain  or  Ireland.  The  fact 
is  notoilous,  and  the  truth  of  my  remark  was  the  only  cause 
of  offence.  Perhaps  my  objection  was  too  broad,  I  wish  it 
had  been  more  qualified,  but  will  M'  Madison  venture  to  say 
that  there  have  not  been  great  and  innumerable  abuses  in 
granting  of  these  Certificates  —  If  this  is  the  Case,  really  he 
should  not  have  found  fault  with  an  assertion  which  possibly 
may  have  applied  too  extensive  limits,  to  what  is  exceeded  as 
extension.  I  shall  studiously  avoid  in  all  my  communications 
with  the  officers  of  the  American  Gov(>i*nmenb  using  expres- 
sions which  may  in  the  most  remote  manner  give  pain  or  of- 


l(!  I 


i 


I, 


I 


'  p*  i.ap 


220 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


fence  unless  indispensable  in  asserting  the  Rights  of  my  Sov- 
ereign. I  have  the  Collector's  assurances  that  he  has  not  yet 
received  any  order  for  carrying  the  Act  for  the  better  preser- 
vation of  Peace  &c  &c  into  effect  — 


1 

'\ 

1 

( 

ji 

TO  VICE-ADMIRAL   SIR  ANDREW   MITCHELL. 

New  York  3"  May  1805. 
SliJ. 

I  understand  M'  Le  Blanc  who  commanded  an  armed  tender 
attached  to  the  Cambrian  has  left  the  position  off  Sandy  Hook 
and  returned  to  Halifax ;  in  which  event  he  will  have  been 
with  you  some  time  before  this  is  received ;  and  have  informed 
you  of  the  desertion  of  his  sailing  Master  and  eight  Seamen 
with  the  Cutter, —  Every  exertion  in  my  power  has  been  made 
to  regain  the  men,  but  no  traces  could  be  found  of  any  of 
them,  save  the  sailing  Master  and  a  man  dressed  in  a  black 
coat,  white  trousers  and  vest,  about  twenty-five  years  old,  dark 
hair  and  about  5  feet  10  Inches,  —  They  wei'e  discovered  by  a 
man  who  I  had  employed,  but  before  I  could  get  a  peace  offi- 
cer to  the  house,  they  were  off  and  have  not  been  since  seen. 
From  the  best  legal  advice  I  am  however  told  that  nothing 
could  have  been  done  with  these  men,  because  the  taking  of 
the  Boat  would  not  be  adjudged  a  felony,  as  they  left  her  on 
a  beach,  but  merely  as  a  means  of  their  escape  —  That  it  has 
been  so  adjudged  in  the  case  of  men  who  affected  their  escape 
from  an  American  Ship  in  the  same  way. 

I  forwarded  to  you  at  Bermuda  the  act  of  Congress  for  the 
better  preservation  of  peace  in  the  harbours  and  ports  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Waters  thereof  —  and  I  have  since  for- 
warded several  letters  from  M''  Merry  to  you  which  I  suppose 
to  be  on  the  same  subject  —  No  instructions  have  yet  been  re- 
ceived by  the  Collector  of  the  Customs  of  this  Port,  as  he  as- 
sures me,  fi'ora  the  President  for  carrying  this  law  into  eft'ect 
— And  it  is  not  only  my  opinion  but  that  of  many  of  the  best 
informed  Gentlemen  of  this  place,  that  the  President  will  not 


n^ 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


221 


send  any  instructions,  or  if  he  does  they  will  be  so  guardedly 
expressed,  as  to  give  no  power  to  the  Collectors  until  each  par- 
ticular case  is  reported  —  If  necessary  I  am  therefore  of  opin- 
ion you  may  with  safety  send  any  of  yoiir  ships  here,  I  would 
however  recommend  their  not  coning  nearer  town  than  Staten 
Island  — 


TO  VICE-ADMIRAL  SIR   ANDREW   MITCHELL. 

New  York  4  May  1805. 
Sir. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  you  that  several  Vessels  which 
have  arrived  within  these  States  from  the  "West  Indies,  report 
that  they  saw  the  french  Squadron  lately  in  the  West  Indies 
on  the  4"',  5"'  and  S""  of  last  Month  steering  to  the  Northward, 
on  the  last  day  they  were  in  N.  L.  24 :  14  —  L.  GG. 

There  is  reason  to  suppose  that  they  are  bound  for  New- 
foundland and  possibly  for  Halifax.^ 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


|r  the 
the 
for- 
)pose 
in  re- 
lic as- 
iffect 
best 
11  not 


Sir. 


New  York  14*-  May  1805. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  you  that  a  french  Privateer 
Schooner  of  twelve  Guns  arrived  here  on  the  Evening  of  the 
12"*  and  came  to  an  anchor  between  this  and  Staten  Island ; 
but  yesterday,  Mail  was  closed,  before  I  could  learn  her  desti- 
nation or  object. —  She  belongs  to  Victor  Hughes  ^  the  Gover- 
nor of  Cayenne  and  having  sprung  a  leak  has  put  in  to  this 
place  for  repair,  and  I  understand  the  Governor  has  granted 
permission  —  I  shall  observe  the  nature  of  the  repairs,  and  re- 

1  Missiessy,  with  the  Rochefort  Squadron,  sailed  from  the  West  Indies 
about  the  first  of  April,  and  reached  Rochefort  again  on  May  2G. 

-  Hugues. 


1^1  \vmm 


222 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


})()rt  them  to  you,  if  they  iippear  more  than  necessary  to  carry 
her  back  in  safety  to  Cayenne  — 

I  have  received  information  tliis  morning  from  a  confidential 
person  who  spoke  a  Spanisli  Privateer  of  14  (Jnns  on  Sunday 
a  little  to  the  Southward  of  this  port,  the  ('aptain  of  which 
said  he  should  cruise  some  time  between  this  and  the  Chese- 
peak  —  I  shall  give  Vice-Admiral  Sir  Andrew  Mitchell  the 
earliest  information. 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL   Sill  A.   MITCHELL. 


Sir 


New  York  IG'"  May  1805 


Since  my  letter  to  you  of  the  14"'  Current,  I  have  received 
information  from  the  Master  of  an  American  Vessel,  that  he 
was  boarded  aboiit  50  Leagues  to  the  Southward  of  Savannah 
in  Georgia  by  a  frencli  Privateer  named  the  Orand  Visiteur  of 
22  Guns  and  150  Men,  destined  to  cruise  off  Georgia — You 
will  perceive  by  the  newspaper  inclosed  that  there  is  also 
another  french  Privateer  off  this  Port  —  I  take  it  for  granted 
they  have  heard  of  your  having  gone  with  the  Squadron  to 
Nova  Scotia,  and  have  come  on  the  American  Coast  to  reap 
while  yoiir  Ships  are  in  port  —  The  President  has  not  sent  any 
instructions  to  the  Collector  of  the  Customs  for  carrying  into 
effect  the  Law  for  the  better  preservation  of  Peace  in  the 
Ports  of  the  United  States  and  the  waters  under  their  Juris- 
diction :  your  ships  may  therefore  for  the  present  come  with 
safety  within  Sandy  Hook  —  It  may  however  not  be  ainiss  to 
give  particular  orders  to  the  Commanders,  not  to  let  the  yawl 
from  the  Pilot  boat  come  along  side,  but  send  their  own  boat 
to  take  him  out,  and  when  on  board  ship,  that  he  is  not  per- 
mitted to  speak  to  any  of  the  Men  —  These  Pilots  invariably 
bring  letters  from  on  board,  and  verbal  complaints  of  Men 
representing  themselves  to  be  Americans  —  as  there  is  always 
an  officer  on  the  Quarter  Deck,  it  cannot  in  my  opinion  be 
difficult  to  prevent  the  Pilot  conversing  with  the  Seamen  — 


)■■ 

1  ^ 

i 

r 

1 
i 

r 

s 

1 

1'  i 

1 

1 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1800 


TO  DE   WITT   CLINTON. 


iiiR. 


Now  York  ;]''  July  1805 


I  am  informed  tluit  the  Froiich  Privateer  Les  Amie  has 
more  Guns  on  hoard  than  those  she  arrived  with  in  this  Port; 
lior  nnmher  of  Guns  being  then  eiglit  and  tliat  she  has  in- 
creased lier  orii^inal  complement  of  men,  who  were  sixty  four 
in  number  — 

I  have  theri'fore  to  request  that  you  will  take  the  proper 
measures  to  prevent  her  leaving  this  Port  with  an  increase  of 
men  or  Guns,  as  it  is  inconsistent  with  the  Laws  of  Nations  — 
It  is  furtlier  stated  to  me,  but  this  is  a  fact  not  in  my  power 
at  present  to  prove  but  whicli  ought  to  come  within  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Customs,  that  I'owder  has  l)een  put  on  board  this 
Privateer  in  this  Port  —  The  Privateer  will  sail  at  daybreak 
to  morrow  morning,  unless  detained  by  you  for  examination  — 


TO  MR.   I\IE11RY. 


Sir. 


New  York  0  July  1805 


I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  yon  my  letter  of  the  3''  cur- 
rent to  tlie  Mayor  of  this  City  on  the  Subject  of  the  French 
Privateer  Les  Amie  then  in  this  Port,  with  his  answer  to  me 
on  the  subject,  whicli  appears  very  positive,  particularly  when 
it  is  considered  that  his  information  from  his  own  statement 
appears  to  have  been  drawn  from  the  assiu-ances  of  the  French 
Commissary  and  the  Agent  of  the  Privateer.  It  is  not  for  me 
to  enter  into  a  dispute  with  the  Mayor  on  this  subject,  because 
I  am  not  certain  that  it  would  be  in  my  power  to  bring  for- 
ward Witnesses  to  prove  that  the  Privateer  had  received  ad- 
ditional Guns  while  in  this  Port,  or  an  increase  of  Powder  and 
Shot ;  but  I  trust  you  will  agree  with  me  that  his  measures  to 
ascertain  the  fact,  should  have  been  by  an  examination  of  the 
Ship  by  Custom  House  or  other  Civil  officers,  and  not  to  build 


^i  m 


\i  s 


I'fii* 


224 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


an  answer  on  the  assurances  of  the  French  CJomtnissary  or 
Agent  of  tlio  Privateer. —  I  submit  the  case  to  your  better 
judgement  aiul  hope  you  will  be  able  to  obtain  from  the  Amer- 
ican Secretaiy  of  State  directions  to  the  Mayor  for  his  taking 
more  satisfactory  measures  in  future  on  similar  occasions. 


TO   MR.   MERKY. 


Sir. 


New  York,  22-  July  1805 


'i  ii 


On  the  subject  of  Mr.  Madison's  answer  to  your  representa- 
tion respecting  the  French  Privateer  Les  Amie  repaired  in  this 
Port,  permit  me  to  remark,  that  on  her  arrival  here  application 
was  made  to  the  Governor  to  allow  her  to  come  up  to  the  City 
in  order  to  undergo  necessary  repairs,  to  which  he  assented. 
I  have  since  been  informed  by  the  Deputy  Collector  that  on 
a  supposition  that  she  was  a  Commissioned  Vessel  the  Custom 
House  took  no  cognizance  of  her  —  an  application  therefore  to 
the  Collector  would  probabl}'  have  proved  unsatisfactory  — 
But  while  that  Privateer  was  in  port,  I  privately  called  on  the 
Surveyor  of  the  Customs,  and  acquainted  liim  that  I  had  rea- 
son to  believe  that  vessel  would  receive  a  repair  beyond  what 
was  necessary  under  the  treaty  between  France  and  the  United 
States  of  America  and  contrary  to  the  Laws  of  Nations,  and 
that  I  had  received  information  she  would  take  on  board  Guns, 
powder  and  shot  purchased  in  this  City,  and  requested  he 
would  direct  his  officers  to  attend  to  her  and  report  the  facts  — 
The  Surveyor  a  few  days  before  the  sailing  of  the  Privateer 
assured  me  that  his  officers  had  not  been  able  to  detect  any 
thing  which  he  considered  illegal,  but  he  added  that  as  the 
Privateer  lay  in  the  Stream  and  he  could  not  send  an  officer 
on  board,  that  the  Warlike  articles  by  me  mentioned  might  at 
night  have  been  put  on  board  without  his  knowledge  or  that 
of  his  officers. 


^. 


CONSUL-OENERAIi,    1H04-1K06 


TO   Mil.   MEURY. 

Elizabeth  town  New  Jersey. 

12"  September  1805. 
SiK. 

I  liavc  ill  coiiscqncuce  of  the  yellow  fevor  liaving  cxt(Mulc(l 
itself  over  every  part  of  New  York,  been  obliged  to  remove 
with  my  family  to  this  place  until  health  is  restored  to  that 
unfortunate  City. 

The  symptoms  of  that  fever  and  its  mortality  aro  stated  l)y 
the  faculty  to  be  more  violent  aiul  jjjreater  than  in  preceeding 
years. —  You  will  for  tlie  present  be  pleased  to  address  your 
letters  for  me  at  this  place. 

Daring  the  prevalence  of  the  fever  I  shall  be  twice  in  each 
week,  as  near  the  City  as  possible  to  attend  to  the  duties  of 
my  office. 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


New  York  7  Nov'  1805. 
Sir. 

It  appears  that  Col :  Williams  of  the  Engineers  some  time 
since  received  orders  to  survey,  and  examine  the  Port  of  New 
York,  and  report  the  particular  scite  most  proper  for  the  erect- 
ing of  Fortifications  for  the  defence  of  that  place,  the  extent 
and  nature  of  these  works,  whether  Islands  miglit  not  be 
formed  by  art  peculiarly  adapted  to  defence,  and  to  present 
an  estimate  of  the  aggregate  expenee  which  would  atteud  the 
Works  he  should  propose  as  necessary,^ 


1  See  as  to  Lt.-Col.  Williams's  Re- 
port, Amer.  State  Papers,  Mil.  Af- 
fairs, Vol.  I,  p.  193.  Jonathan  Wil- 
liams, "the  father  of  West  Point," 
was  born  at  Boston,  May  26,  1750. 
He  was  a  great-nephew  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  and  was  Franklin's  seere- 

15 


tary  in  Paris,  where  ho  studied  the 
science  of  fortification.  Ho  returned 
to  America  after  the  peace,  entered 
the  Army,  and  became  the  first  Su- 
perintendent of  the  Military  Acad- 
emy.   He  died  May  16,  1815. 


I 


ir    m 


f:; 

■1 

I'm  I 

, 

m\ 

If 

1 

*'' 

ti 

226 


COUUESPONDRNrK  OP  THOMAS  HAKLLAV 


lie  attondod  the  cxjiniination  and  survey  for  scvoral  days 
about  tli(^  20"'  of  October,  and  a  i)art  of  tliis  duty  was  ])oforo 
that  date  and  since  conunitted  to  tlie  Care  of  a  Captain  Ma- 
conil).^  What  liis  rejtort  was  I  cannot  yet  ascertain  but  hopc^ 
to  do  it  in  the  course  of  a  week  or  ten  days,  but  this  is  certain 
that  while  lie  was  on  this  duty,  lie  declared  that  as  it  was  im- 
I)ossi])le  to  form  any  correct  estinuvte,  he  would  not  therefore 
ris(ju('  his  reputation  in  reportin«>;  a  Sum,  that  might  exceed  or 
fall  sliort  of  the  necessary  ex})enditures. 

The  New  York  Gazette  very  incorrectly  stated  that  a  Pilot 
went  down  on  the  5"'  to  bring  His  Majesty's  Ship  Cambrian 
within  the  Hook  —  The  Cambrian  has  not  been  within,  on  the 
sixth  having  agreed  witli  Captain  Beresford  that  he  would  bo 
within  a  few  miles  of  Sandy  Hook,  my  son  carried  down  sonu) 
dollars  in  a  Pilot  Boat,  and  the  Ship  immediately  got  under 
way :  and  was  to  sail  this  day  for  Halifax,  the  limitation  of  the 
cruize  being  expired. 


FEOM   Mil.  BROUGHTON. 


Downinp:  Street  Jan'  3'  180G. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  5"'  ult'.'  —  The  Anti 
Jacobin  is  stopped — The  Gazette  shall  be  commenced  Tomor- 
row. I  delivered  your  letter  to  Cap'  Barclay  whom  I  have  re- 
(piested  to  give  me  a  few  days  previous  notice  should  he  desire 
to  avail  himself  of  your  authority  for  him  to  draw  upon  me 
for  a  few  Hundred  Pounds  to  compleat  the  purchase  of  his 
Majority 

The  AjS  from  the  Continent  are  so  truly  disastrous 

an''  .^g  that  I  will  only  say  I  consider  the  Good  Cause  as 

n^  Hopeless  —  Bonaparte  being  absolute  Master  of  the 

Continent.-    The  Southern  Part  of  wliich  he  will  carve  and 

1  Alexander  Macomb  was  at  this  ing  General  of  tho  Army,  and  died 

time  23  years  old.    He  was  rapidly  June  LT),  1841. 

promoted  during  the  war  with  Eng-  "  The   battle   of   Austerlitz   was 

land,  attained  the  rank   of  Major-  fought  December  2,  1805. 
General  in  1814,  became  Command- 


CONSUL-OENERATi,    1804-1800 


227 


apportion  in  vvliatevcr  inuniuT  ho  pleases.  I  lis  Plan  appears 
to  mo  to  bo  to  reestablish  The  Einpiro  of  The  West  in  his  owu 
I'erson. 

There  is  iittlo  to  look  forward  to  with  the  smallest  compla- 
oonoy.  A  protracted  War  will  exhaust  our  pecuniary  resources 
and  !i.  speedy  I'eaet^  will  release  the  ('orsiean's  Sailors  now  in 
our  Prisons  and  allord  him  the  means  of  creating  a  Navy 
which  may  be  able  to  dispute  the  Dominion  of  the  Seas  with 
that  of  Great  Britain  —  until  whi(!h,  I  hold  all  his  Vaporing 
about  Invasion  as  mere  empty  (Jasconade  —  Wc  never  can  l)o 
invaded  with  any  i)rospect  of  Success  on  his  I'art  until  his 
descent  is  covered  by  a  powerful  Fleet. 

Ever  dear  Sir 

Very  truly  Yours 

C.  R.  BuouniiTON. 


TO   VICE-ADMIIUL   SIR   ANDREW   MITCHELL. 


New  York,  1"'  Foby  1800. 
Sir. 

Previous  to  your  leaving  Halifax  for  Bermuda,  you  must 
have  heard  that  the  Americans  had  warmly  taken  up  the  Doc- 
trine advanced  in  a  late  British  Pamphlet  entitled  war  in  Dis- 
guise ; '  and  of  what  they  termed  a  violation  of  their  neutral 
Rights  by  recent  captures  on  the  Part  of  His  Majesty  and 
condemnations  of  property  on  board  American  Ships.  The 
Merchants  of  the  principal  Cities  in  these  States  have  memo- 
rialed Congress  on  this  Subject  in  strong  Languages —  a  Copy 
of  one  of  these  I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose.  Things  appear 
to  me  to  be  approximating  to  an  unpleasant  Crisis  between 
Great  Britain  and  these  States.  On  Wedues'Tay  last  a  resolu- 
tion passed  the  lower  house  in  Congress  on  the  Subject  of 
passing  an  Act  to  prohibit  the  importation  of  any  goods  wares 
merchandizes  or  any  thing  the  Produce  of  Great  Britain,  its 

1  Soe  Adams's  Hist,  of  tlio  U.  S.,  Vol.  HI,  pp.  SO-f);}. 


.i'» 


1 

1 

m 

!  1 


I,, 


■. ; 


!'  ■  ■  i 

i-    i' 

i,     ' 

\,  - 
u 


228 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Dominions  &c. —  This  resolution  ^  you  will  find  in  one  of  the 
news  Papers  inclosed,  and  in  another  news  paper  the  remon- 
strance of  the  Am"  Minister  at  London  to  Lord  Mnlgrave  on 
the  general  subject  of  violation  of  neutral  rights.-  It  is 
doubtful  whether  Congress  will  eveutually  pass  a  law  to  pro- 
hibit importations  from  Great  Britain  and  its  dependencies, 
yet  as  they  appear  to  grow  daily  more  warm,  in  propoi*tion  as 
they  debate  on  the  question,  I  confess  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  so  imprudent  a  i  asure  was  cai-ried.  I  have  thought  it  my 
duty  to  give  you  this  hint,  that  you  may  if  you  judge  proper 
order  some  of  the  Ships  under  your  command  to  touch  more 
frequently  here,  than  you  originally  intended. 

I  do  not  know  what  may  have  passed  between  you  and  Lieut 
General  Gardner  on  the  Subject  of  money  now  in  my  hands 
for  the  use  of  His  Majestys  Forces,  and  of  its  conveyance  from 
hence  to  Halifax ;  but  under  the  present  appearances  I  much 
wish  it  was  from  this  place ;  and  could  wish  if  it  does  not  mil- 
itate with  more  material  parts  of  His  Majestys  Service  that 
you  would  have  the  Goodness  to  send  for  it,  as  soon  as  it  can 
be  conveniently  done. 


TO   ADMIRAL  SIR  ANDREW  MITCHELL. 


Sir. 


New  York,  29  ^larcli  1800. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  dispatch 
from  Captain  Beresford  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Cambrian  of  the 
22''  of  February  by  His  Majestys  Sloop  Driver,  written  by  your 


1  Tlie  resolution  referred  to  is  ap- 
parently that  introduced  by  Mr. 
Gregg  of  Pennsylvania  on  Wed- 
nesday, January  '29,  which  was  not 
adopted,  but  was  merely  referred  to 
a  Committee  of  the  Whole  on  the 
State  of  the  Union,  and  ordered  to 
be  printed.  The  resolution  was  sub- 
sequently debated  from  March  5  to 
March  17,  and  lost,  a  more  moderate 


resolution,  proposed  by  Mr.  Nichol- 
son of  Maryland,  being  adopted  as 
a  substitute. 

'•^Mr.  Monroe's  letter  of  Septem- 
ber 23,  1805,  is  the  one  referred  to. 
It  was  communicated  to  Congress 
by  the  President,  together  with  me- 
morials from  the  merchants  of  New- 
York,  Philadelphia,  Newburyport, 
Charleston,  Baltimore,  and  Norfolk. 


:\'i 


— m 


[scptora- 
rred  to. 
loiigresa 
lith  nie- 

)f  New- 
|irypovt, 

lorfolk. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


229 


order  in  reply  to  my  letter  of  the  first  of  that  month.  I  am 
sorry  to  inform  you  tliat  neither  the  December,  January  or 
February  Mails  have  arrived  from  England ;  by  arrival  from 
thence,  I  perceive  it  stated  in  the  London  papers  that  a  Packet 
sailed  from  Falmouth  on  the  28th  of  January  for  New  York. 
The  Winds  have  since  prevailed  from  the  North  Eastward, 
and  as  the  Packets  generally  take  a  southern  course  during 
the  Winter,  the  length  of  her  passage  is  easily  accounted  for, 
while  we  have  had  numbers  of  Merchants  Ships  from  England 
and  France  within  the  last  ten  days,  in  about  thirty  days  pas- 
sage—  The  Purser  of  the  Driver  came  up  about  8  oClock  last 
Evening,  and  returned  to  the  Hook  this  morning,  it  being 
Captain  Simpsons  intention  as  the  Purser  informs  me  to  leave 
Sandy  Kook  this  day  on  his  return  to  Bermuda. — I  think  the 
packet  must  be  in  within  40  hours  from  this  and  I  shall  request 
the  Purser  to  communicate  my  opinion  to  Captain  Simpson, 
that  he  may  wait  that  period  if  his  orders  will  permit. — 

The  news  papers  herewith  sent  detail  the  proceedings  in 
Congress  since  my  last.  You  will  perceive  that  a  resolution 
has  passed  the  House  of  Representatives  to  prohibit  the  impor- 
tation of  certain  articles  from  Great  Britain  ^  and  a  Bill  ordered 
to  be  brought  in  for  that  purpose.  Many  of  the  best  informed 
Americans  think  that  the  bill  will  not  pass  the  Senate ;  I  confess, 
however  I  am  of  a  different  opinion.  This  Bill  altho'  not  so 
extensive  as  M'  Griggs  original  motion,  cannot  but  be  consid- 
ered OS  a  very  unnecessarily  strong  measure. — M'  Randolphs 
loose  desultory  speech,-  will  throw  some  light  on  the  General 
Subject,  it  is  in  one  of  the  News  papers. —  As  most  of  the 
Ships  that  were  detained  in  England  last  Autumn  and  early  in 
the  Winter,  have  since  been  returned  and  permitted  to  proceed 
on  their  respective  Voyages ;  the  American  violence  against 
Great  Britain  has  in  some  measure  subsided. 


1  Nicholson's  resolution,  adopted 
March  17,  180G,  which,  aniondod, 
passed  the  Senate  April  Ifi,  180(5. 

'•J  Speech  of  March  5, 180G.  It  was 
with  this  speech,  says  Mr.  Henry 
Adams,  that  Fandolph  "began  his 
15* 


long  public  career  of  opposition.'' 
Adams's  Randolph,  pp.  173-181. 
The  speech  was  reprinted  as  a  pam- 
phlet in  London,  with  an  introduc- 
tion by  James  Stephen,  tlie  author 
of  War  in  Disguise. 


■  ,  I 

1 
fa 

1 

1 
i 

230 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


TO   Ull.   MEllKY. 


Sir. 


New  York  Si'"  April  180G 


The  Purser  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Lecauder  has  this  day  deliv- 
ered iiic  a  letter  from  Captain  Henry  Whitby  the  Commander 
informing  me  of  his  arrival  off  Sandy  Hook,  that  he  was  on  his 
way  from  Bermuda  to  Halifax,  and  would  proceed  the  moment 
the  Purser  returned  with  provisions — That  he  had  made  New 
York  by  order  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  for  such  dispatches 
as  might  be  here  for  him.  Captain  Whitby  will  probably  sail 
for  Halifax  on  Sunday .^ 


TO   MR.  MEIUIY. 


:|    II 


H 


t-    ' 


Sir. 


New  York,  20'"  April  180G. 


I  received  last  Evening  a  letter  from  Captain  Nairne  Com- 
mander of  His  Majesty's  Ship  Cambrian  acquainting  me  of 
his  arrival  off  Sandy  Hook  on  his  way  to  the  Southward  and 
of  the  Driver  Sloop  of  War  being  in  company  with  him.  —  It 
appears  that  the  Cambrian  went  from  Bermuda  to  Halifax, 
landed  Captain  Beresford  the  Senior  Officer  on  that  Station, 
refitted  and  sailed  immediately  on  a  cruise. 

I  am  under  the  painful  necessity  to  inform  you  that  ac- 
counts have  been  received  here  last  Evening,  that  the  Leander 
in  firing  on  an  American  Coaster  coming  into  the  Plook,  killed 
the  man  at  the  Helm. —  It  is  an  accident  much  to  be  regretted 
and  will  occasion  much  ill  will  on  the  part  of  the  Americans. 
I  shall  take  occasion  this  day  to  recommend  more  caution  to 
Captain  Whitby  the  Commander  of  the  Leander,  and  intreat 
that  he  and  the  two  other  ships  of  war,  will  not  approach  so 
near  the  American  Coasts,  or  at  least  v/lien  in  such  a  situation 
that  they  abstain  from  all  acts  which  may  give  offence  —  The 

1  April  27. 


i 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1 804-1 80G 


231 


Leander  will  proceed  for  Halifax  the  first  fair  Wind  —  The 
Cambrian  on  a  cruize  to  the  Southward  —  I  am  ignorant  of 
the  destination  of  the  Driver. 


TO   CAPTAIN   WHITBY. 


Sir. 


New  York,  2G'"  April  1800. 


M'  Gullet  delivered  your  letter  dated  off  Sandy  Hook,  which 
was  written  as  he  tells  me  on  the  23''  ins'. 

Three  Mails  from  Falmou^ '  ind  several  other  dispatches  for 
the  Naval  Commander  in  chief  at  Halifax  were  forwarded 
some  days  since  by  the  Princess  Mary  Packet  to  Halifax.  I 
have  not  at  present  any  dispa,telies  — 

It  was  my  intention  to  have  requested  you  to  have  carried 
some  money  for  the  use  of  his  Majesty's  Forces  in  Nova  Sco- 
tia; but  the  accident  which  occurred  to  you  last  Evening  in 
Killing  by  a  Shot  from  the  Leander,  a  man  at  the  helm  of  a 
sloop  coming  into  the  Hook,  has  so  irritated  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  this  place,  that  I  fear  they  will  destroy  the  boat  with 
provisions  on  board ;  and  should  she  leave  this  in  safety  pur- 
sue and  plunder  her.  In  addition  to  this  as  the  wind  is  from 
the  Eastward  attended  with  Rain  and  thick  weather,  you  will 
Keep  off  shore,  and  consequently  the  Boat  be  obliged  tc  vvait 
within  the  Hook  until  it  clears  up  —  Under  these  Circimi- 
stances  I  think  it  would  be  imprudent  to  risque  the  money  — 

Your  own  good  Sense  will  naturally  point  out  to  you  that 
the  death  of  this  man  (which  I  am  sure  on  your  part  was  un- 
intentional) will  occasion  serious  compl"  on  the  part  of  the 
American  Government.  The  sooner  therefore  that  you  leave 
the  Coast  the  better;  and  I  think  it  advisable  that  the  Cam- 
brian and  Driver  also  withdraw. 

I  shall  not  feel  easy  until  I  learn  that  M"^  Lawrence  and 
Gullet  are  safe  on  board  Ship  —  They  will  leave  this  privately 
—  Be  pleased  to  present  my  best  regards  to  Captain  Beresford. 


'f    ! 


;[i 


fi 


H 


I  iiij 


if 


232 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THO:\rAS  BARCLAY 


TO   MK.  MERHY. 


New  York  27""  April  1800. 
Sir. 

You  have  been  informed  by  my  letter  of  the  20"'  Instant 
that  His  Majestys  Ships  Leander  Cambrian  and  Driver  were 
off  tliis  Port,  and  that  on  the  Evening  of  the  25"'  Instant  a 
man  behjnging  to  a  Sloop  from  the  Delawar*-,  to  this  place  had 
been  killed  by  a  shot  from  the  Leander  —  I  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  this  accident  early  in  the  morning  of  the  20"' 
through  the  medium  of  the  News  Papers,  and  was  convinced 
it  would  create  much  violence  in  this  City. —  A  Boat  which 
the  Purser  of  the  Leander  had  laden  with  Beef,  Live  Stock 
and  other  Refreshments  and  necessaries  for  the  officers  and 
men  of  that  Ship,  was  therefore  hiuTied  from  the  Wharf,  in  the 
hope  that  she  might  get  to  the  Leander  before  the  public  mind 
became  so  agitated  as  to  prevent  it.  Her  departure  liowever 
was  discovered  and  two  fast  sailing  Boats  v/ere  despatched  to 
over  take  and  bring  her  back.  In  this  they  succeeded  and  re- 
turned with  her  in  Triumph  about  3  oClock  in  the  afternoon 
of  that  day.  A  mob  was  collected  and  the  Articles  placed  on 
about  twenty  Carts,  on  the  first  of  which  I  am  informed  the 
British  colours  were  placed  on  a  Pole  round  and  imder  the 
American  Flag.  With  Drums  beating  they  paraded  the  City 
with  the  articles  destined  for  the  Leander  and  eventually  de- 
posited them  in  the  Alms  House  for  the  use  of  the  Poor.  The 
Mob  then  proceeded  some  little  distance  towards  S*  Pauls 
Church  where  they  burnt  the  British  Colours  and  after  passing 
down  BroadAvay  to  White  Hall  peaceably  dispersed.  —  It  was 
frequently  urged  by  several  of  them  both  on  the  wliarff,  when 
they  were  loading  the  Carts  and  while  pai-ading  the  Streets,  to 
go  and  ransack  the  British  Consuls  House  —  Others  cried  out, 
level  it  with  the  Ground,  while  the  less  violent-  proposed  tak- 
ing and  detaining  me  a  Prisoner  until  Captain  Whitby  was 
given  up  to  be  tried  for  the  murder  of  this  man.  Through  the 
prudence  of  some  respectable  Characters  the  mob  were  diverted 
from  assailing  my  house  or  insulting  my  person. —  This  unfor- 
tunate accident  has  created  much  ill  blood  in  this  City.    The 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


233 


Body  of  the  deceased  has  been  exposed  to  public  View,  in 
order  to  inflame  the  minds  of  the  Vulgar  and  to  render  the  ac- 
cident subservient  to  party  views  at  the  ensuing  election  which 
commences  Tomorrow  —  The  inclosed  hand  bill  will  give  you 
an  Idea  of  the  violence  which  subsists  here. 

Under  a  conviction  that  that  Commander  of  His  Majestys 
Ship  Leander  is  at  this  moment  ignorant  of  the  Circumstances, 
I  have  written  to  the  Mayor  for  permission  to  go  or  send  to  him, 
that  he  may  be  made  acquainted  therewith.  I  have  also  re- 
quested his  permission  for  the  four  officers  of  that  Ship,  who 
I  understand  are  concealed  in  or  near  this  City,  to  go  and  join 
her.  A  copy  of  my  letter  to  the  Mayor  I  have  the  Honor  to 
inclose  — 


de- 
The 
auls 
5sing 
was 
when 
3,  to 
out, 
tak- 
was 
h  the 
erted 
mfor- 
The 


TO   DF   WITT   CLINTON. 


Sir 


New  York  2?"  April  1800. 


No  one  more  deeply  regrets  than  I  do  the  unfortunate  and 
fatal  accident  that  has  so  strongly  excited  the  Sensibility  of 
this  City,  a  regard  for  whose  peace,  as  well  as  a  desire  to  ap- 
prize the  Commander  of  His  Majestys  Ship  Leander  of  this  oc- 
currence make  it  in  my  opinion  highly  expedient  that  I  be 
permitted  to  transmit  to  this  officer  an  account  of  what  has 
happened,  and  of  which  at  this  moment,  I  believe,  he  remains 
uninformed  — 

It  is  proper  likewise  that  I  inform  you,  that  four  of  His 
Majestys  officers  who  came  to  this  City  two  days  before  the 
Accident,  and  who  are  desirous  of  returning  to  the  Leander 
are  now  in  or  near  this  City. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  becomes  my  duty  to  request  of 
you,  as  the  first  Magistrate  of  the  City,  that  I  may  be  per- 
mitted to  go  or  send  on  board  His  Majestys  Ship  Leander  for 
the  pm-pose  of  informing  the  Commander  of  the  unfortunate 
death  occasioned  by  a  shot  from  that  Ship ;  and  of  the  Sensi- 
bility and  Resentment  which  the  same  has  created  throughout 
the  City.     It  is  also  my  duty  to  request  that  the  four  officers 


234 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


in  question  be  jillowed  at  the  same  time  to  go  on  board  the 
Leander. 

I  am  influenced  on  this  occasion  by  an  earnest  desire  to  do 
my  duty  to  tlie  King  my  Master — to  secure  the  Peac^e  of  this 
City  and  to  promote  the  continuance  of  that  good  understand- 
ing and  Harmony  tliat  happily  subsists  between  our  respective 
C*ountries  — 


IP' 


!h^ 


1.1 


TO  MR.    MERRY. 


Sir 


New  York  20"'  April  ISOO 


I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  you  a  copy  of  the  Answer  of 
the  Mayor  of  New  York  to  my  letter  of  the  27'"  Instant  — 

You  will  perceive  that  the  Mayor  passes  in  silence  that  part 
of  my  letter  which  relates  to  the  officers  being  permitted  to  re- 
turn to  their  Ships,  but  his  refusal  to  assent  is  contained  in  his 
general  reply,  "that  he  is  unwilling  to  adoj)t  any  measures 
however  inconsiderable  until  he  has  received  orders  from  the 
Government " —  Wil  h  respect  to  mj'  going  or  sending  he  adds 
that  as  the  laws  of  these  States  permit  it,  there  is  no  occasion 
for  his  authorization  —  This  answer  from  the  Maj^or  amounts 
to  a  refusal,  because  he  Knows  that  the  Citizens  are  prohibited 
by  certain  resolutions  passed  at  a  public  meeting  on  the  night 
of  the  27"'  Instant  from  having  any  intercourse  Avith  His  Maj- 
estys  Ships  —  and  at  the  time  I  delivered  him  my  letter  above 
mentioned,  I  explained  fully  to  him,  that  the  cause  of  my  ap- 
plication for  his  permission  was  to  remove  the  consequences  of 
the  Inhibition  contained  in  those  resolutions  — 

My  object  was  to  get  the  officers  once  more  on  board  their 
Ships,  to  have  forwarded  the  Affidavits  respecting  the  death  of 
Pearce,  and  to  have  recommended  to  the  Commander  the  pro- 
priety of  his  Keeping  at  a  greater  distance  from  the  American 
Line  of  marine  Jurisdiction. — 

I  have  been  unwearied  in  my  exertions  to  hire  a  Vessel  to  go 
down  to  the  Ships  —  No  man  dares  increase  the  public  resent- 
ment by  communicating  with  them.     Captain  Whitby  ^ .  there- 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1800 


235 


fore  kept  iti  ijnjnoranco  of  tlie  accident  and  of  the  public  irrita- 
tion of  wlii(Oi  you  will  perceive  the  Mayor  partakes  largely 
from  tlu!  expressions  contained  in  his  letter  to  me.  I  have  al- 
ready informed  you  in  my  private  letter  that  I  have  reason  to 
believe  the  continuance  of  this  inhibition,  depends  on  the  re- 
turn of  the  Pilot  Boat  scut  off  on  Saturday  evening  for  the 
purpose  of  retaking  the  American  Vessels  sent  to  Halifax  for 
adjudication.  But  there  is  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  Com- 
mander of  His  Majesty's  Ships  will  come  up  and  enforce  the 
delivery  of  his  officers  —  Such  a  measure  would  naturally  pro- 
duce very  serious  consequences  —  I  have  made  up  my  mind  not 
to  have  any  Agency  in  privately  conveying  the  officers  on 
board  their  Ships,  who  came  here  on  Business  and  who  if  they 
are  not  allowed  to  transact  that  Business  should  at  least  be 
permitted  to  return  in  safety  — 


TO   CAPTAIN   WHITBY. 


•lean 


Sir 


New  York  1"  May  180(5 


I  received  at  10  oClock  last  night  your  letter  of  the  30"'  of 
April,  and  went  immediately  to  see  Lieut  Cowan  who  was  the 
Bearer  of  your  dispatch,  and  had  very  i)roperly  stopped  at  Fort 
Jay,i  and  to  the  Mayor  of  this  City  to  enquire  of  him  what  an- 
swer he  intended  to  make  to  your  re<iuisition  and  whether  he 
would  permit  the  officers  of  your  Ship  and  of  the  Cambrian 
to  return  with  Lieut  Cowan.  He  replied  that  he  never  had 
prevented  those  officers  from  returning  to  their  Ships  whenever 
they  thought  fit  to  go. —  I  answered  that  I  believe  it  true  that 
he  never  had  publickly  forbid  them  going,  but  his  declining  to 
comply  with  my  recpiest  of  the  27"'  Instant  to  grant  them  leave, 
was  tantamount  to  a  refusal,  because  he  knew  that  by  a  set  of 
resolutions  of  the  Merchants  and  other  Citizens  of  the  20""  Ins* 
all  intercourse  had  been  prohibited  between  this  City  and  His 
Majesty's  Ships,  and  therefore  if  I  had  sent  those  officers  down 

1  Goveruoi's  Island. 


i 


23G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


II 


(admitting  it  possible  to  have  procured  a  conveyance)  I  should 
have  had  the  mortification  to  have  seen  them  brought  back, 
and  probably  subject  to  the  violence  and  insult  of  a  mob. — 
That  he  could  not  but  know  that  the  Pilot  Boat  had  orders  to 
intercept  all  Vessels  attempting  to  make  either  of  His  Majcs- 
tys  Ships. — After  some  little  further  conversation  the  Mayor 
told  me,  he  did  agree  to  their  going  and  that  he  would  send  me 
some  time  this  day  an  answer  to  be  forwarded  to  you. — 

As  I  am  anxious  that  the  officers  should  be  restored  to  you 
immediately,  I  have  resolved  to  send  them  without  the  Mayor's 
reply  to  you,  and  shall  forward  it  by  the  first  Conveyance  after 
it  comes  to  hand,  writing  you  more  fully  on  this  unpleasant 
subject.  Had  not  M'  Cowan  arrived,  the  officers  were  to  have 
attempted  getting  on  board  for  which  purpose  a  Boat  was  in 
readiness —  I  shall  write  you  more  fully  during  the  day.  The 
appearance  of  rain  &  thick  weather  induces  mo  to  not  to  de- 
tain the  Gentlemen  — 

I  hope  you  rec'd  during  Yesterday  letters  from  M'  Lawrence 
and  myself  which  were  put  on  board  a  Vessel  for  Martinique 
and  which  M'  Dupoy  the  owner  of  the  Vessel  promised  me 
should  be  delivered  to  vou  — 


TO   DE  WITT   CLINTON. 


Sir 


Now  York  1"  May  1806 


I  regret  that  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  again  stating  to 
you,  that  it  is  indispensably  necessary  that  the  officers  of  His 
Majesty's  Ships  of  War  Leander  and  Cambrian  return  to  their 
respective  Ships,  and  that  without  your  Sanction  and  protec- 
tion it  is  dangerous  and  impracticable  for  them  to  attempt  it. 
I  am  well  informed  that  there  are  persons  in  this  City  laying 
in  wait  to  intercept  those  officers  if  they  attempt  to  leave  this 
City,  and  that  there  are  Boats  stationed  near  Sandy  Hook  to 
prevent  any  Vessels  from  communicating  with  either  of  His 
Majesty's  Ships  —  I  am  also  assured  that  if  the  officers  are 


,  A 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


237 


taken  in  ondoavonring  to  join  their  Ships,  that  they  will  bo 
brought  back  to  this  City,  wliorc  tlioir  persons  will  be  insulted 
and  their  lives  endangered. — 

Under  these  assurances  it  is  my  duty  to  require  of  you,  as 
the  cliit^f  Magistrate  in  this  City,  a  safe  conveyaiK^e  for  the  offi- 
cers from  hence  to  one  of  His  Majesty's  Hhips  now  laying  off 
the  i3ar  at  Sandy  Hook  waiting  their  return  —  Be  pleased  to 
favor  me  Avitli  an  answer. 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


i?  to 
His 


it. 

lying 
this 
)k  to 

If  His 


Sir. 


New  York  3''  May  180G. 


On  the  Evening  of  the  20"'  of  April  a  cutter  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  a  Flag  of  Truce  arrived  from  the  Commander  of  His 
Majestys  Ships  off  Sandy  Hook  at  Fort  Jay  or  Governors 
Island  immediately  opposite  to  this  City.  The  officer  who  came 
up  in  the  Cutter  placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  the 
American  officer  at  Fort  Jay,  and  delivered  him  a  letter  from 
Cap'  Whitby  the  Commander  of  His  Majestys  Ships  off  Sandy 
Hook  to  the  Mayor  of  this  City,  and  another  for  myself,  en- 
quiring as  to  the  cause  of  the  detention  of  his  officers  and  re- 
questing that  they  should  be  permitted  to  return  to  their  ships. 
Disavowing  an  intention  to  kill  any  man  on  board  the  Sloop, 
of  which  1  have  already  stated  to  you  the  circumstances  and 
stating  that  the  cause  of  the  accident  was  owing  wholly  to  the 
obstinacy  of  the  master  who  would  not  bring  to,  to  bo  ex- 
amined.— 

I  waited  that  night  in  person  on  the  Mayor  on  the  subject 
of  this  application,  who  assured  me  he  would  give  every  facil- 
ity in  his  power  to  effect  the  return  of  the  officers.  At  noon 
of  the  following  day,  I  again  met  him  by  appointment  to  con- 
fer with  him  and  the  officer  Commanding  at  Fort  Jay  on  the 
mode  to  be  adopted,  when  it  was  proposed  by  him,  that  the  of- 
ficer who  came  up  with  Cap*^  Whitbys  letter  should  immedi- 
ately return,  and  that  an  armed  Boat  from  Fort  Jay  should 


U\l 


]'  4 


h 


238 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


I  I 


Mi 


I 


! 

i       \ 


fil 


attend  liini  until  he  liad  jn'oceeded  so  far  as  to  bo  in  safety 
from  any  attack  wliicli  niijuflit  l;)e  made  upon  liim  from  tlie  In- 
Iiabitants  of  this  City;  and  that  he  tlie  Mayor  would  procure 
a  IMlot  Boat  to  take  the  otlieers,  who  arr'  a'd  on  the  2;}''  of 
Aj)ril,  down  to  their  ships  durinj^  the  ensuing  night. —  Tlu* 
Mayor  then  read  to  me  a  i)art  of  his  answer  to  Captain  Whithy, 
wlierein  he  stated  that  tlie  officers  had  never  been  detained,  that 
they  might  have  returned  wdien  they  pleas(Hl;  but  if  I  thought 
their  persons  were  in  danger,  he  was  ready  to  grant  them  safe 
conduct,  on  a  request  from  me  to  thtit  purport. 

I  told  the  Mayor,  I  could  not  but  wonder  at  this  statement 
to  Capt.  Whitby.  That  a  prohibition  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
City  to  have  any  conmiunication  with  the  Ships  by  resolves  of 
a  numerous  meeting,  and  the  placing  of  I*ilot  Boats  to  prevent 
any  Vessel  from  going  to  His  Majestys  Ships,  was  in  fact  de- 
taining the  officers,  by  depriving  them  of  a  conveyance.  That 
my  letter  to  him  of  the  27"'  of  April,  a  copy  whereof  I  have 
sent  to  you,  contained  a  re(iuc  it  for  his  permission  for  those 
officers  to  return  to  their  .ships,  and  that  his  permission  natur- 
ally would  have  included  a  pi  itection.  That  the  declaration 
contained  in  his  answer  to  my  letter  of  the  27"'  of  April,  towit 
that  "  he  did  not  feel  willing  to  adopt  any  steps  however  in- 
considerable until  he  obtained  instructions  from  the  President 
of  the  United  States,"  added  to  his  passing  over  in  silence  that 
part  of  my  letter  which  respected  those  officers  appeared  to  me 
a  refusal  to  grant  them  his  permission  to  return  to  their  Ships. 
However  as  he  had  stated  to  Captain  Whitby  that  he  would 
give  the  officers  safe  Conduct  to  their  Ships,  on  an  application 
from  me,  I  would  repeat  my  request  for  that  purpose.  A  copy 
of  this  letter  I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose. 

The  Mayor  then  directed  one  of  the  Pilots  to  take  the  offi- 
cers that  night  on  board  their  Ships,  and  I  understand  they 
got  on  board  about  3  o'Clock  yesterday  Morning,  soon  after 
which  both  Ships  the  Leander  and  Cambrian  left  the  Station. 
The  former  for  Halifax  the  latter  on  a  cruize  to  the  South- 
ward.— 

Much  as  I  regret  the  accident  of  an  American  Seaman  hav- 
ing been  killed  by  a  shot  from  His  Majestys  Ship  Leander ; 


CONSUL-UENEHAr,,   1804-180(5 


2:31) 


still  I  f(>pl  il,  my  duty  to  add  that  a  vc^ry  improper  use  has  been 
made;  of  this  unpleasant  circMimstaiico,  l)y  converting  it  into  a 
jiolitical  w('ap<Mi,  wliieli  tlic  Federal  and  Ix'epublican  Tarties 
have  used  a^ninst  oaeh  oth-M*,  hut  at  tlio  same  time  Inis  mado 
tho  unhappy  elT'ort  to  influeneo  tho  passions  of  tho  vulgar  to 
an  extra,  igant  degree,  against  the  British  (Jovernnu^ut,  and 
the  otliccrs  of  His  Majcstys  Ships  then  near  Sandy  Hook. 


TO   CAPTAIN   WHITBY. 


fti  hav- 
Inder ; 


Hiu. 


New  York  G'"  May  1800. 


Your  letter  of  the  2''  of  May  I  have  this  moment  received. 
M'  Lawrence  I  had  lioped  woxdd  have  informed  you  of  every 
circumstance  which  occurred  from  his  arrival  in  this  City  on 
the  night  of  tlie  23''  of  April  to  that  of  his  departure  on  the 
first  of  May. —  On  tlie  morning  of  the  20"'  of  Api'il,  I  wrote  to 
you,  by  the  Boat  that  Avas  to  liave  taken  down  the  Provisions, 
stating  the  accident  which  had  happened  and  the  improper  use 
tluit  had  been  made  of  it,  by  both  Parties  in  this  City  then 
canvassing  for  a  contested  Election  —  The  Boat,  as  M''  Law- 
rence must  have  informed  you,  was  puvsued  by  a  party  of 
armed  iuen  and  brought  back  —  What  became  of  the  letter  I 
know  not,  as  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  of  the  party.  On 
the  27  of  April  I  again  wrote  to  you  detailing  every  circum- 
stance, but  found  it  impracticable  to  procure  a  conveyance  for 
the  letter.  On  the  28  I  wrote  another  letter  in  continuation  to 
that  of  the  preceeding  day,  but  was  equally  unsuccessful  as  to 
the  conveyance.  On  the  30"'  a  M'  Dupoy  a  Merchant  in  this 
city  to  whom  I  got  a  friend  to  make  the  proposal,  agreed  that 
on  my  becoming  bound  that  his  Brig  should  not  be  detained 
by  yourself  or  the  Captains  of  either  of  the  Ships  under  your 
Command,  that  the  Captain  of  His  Brig  (then  going  to  the 
West  Indies)  should  deliver  iny  despatch  j  to  you  at  Sandy 
Hook  —  These  dispatches  contained  three  letters  from  myself, 
and  from  M'  Lawrence,  copies  of  the  letters  which  had  passed 
between  the  Mayor  of  this  City  and  myself,  on  the  subject  of 


/I; 


r^ 


240 


coriui:si»()NOENci':  of  tiiomas  hauclay 


tlic  ofticors  (li'taiiiod  lioro  from  your  Ship,  iiiul  a  rof^ular  filo  of 
N(!ws  ])aiK'rs  from  Ww  2()"'  to  tlio  130"'  of  April.  1  liavo  sinco 
umlcrstood  that  the;  Master  of  the  Bri<^  did  not  comply  with 
his  owiuirs  orders,  but  ])roeoeded  to  sea  while  His  ^Majestys 
Ships  woro  at  Anchor.  To  these  circumstances  you  are  to  at- 
Iriltuti!  not  hearin<;-  from  me,  until  Lieut.  Cowan's  return.  In 
my  letter  to  you  of  the  first  of  May,  I  made  mention  of  having 
sent  those  letters  hy  the  Brig. 

I  am  confident  Sir,  that  I  have  done  my  duty  to  ITis  Majesty 
and  to  you,  and  that  it  was  no  more  in  my  })ower  to  command 
conveyances,  than  it  is  in  yours  to  control  the  Winds;  and  I 
had  hoped  you  would  have  rested  satisfied  that  every  thing 
that  could  be  effected,  woidd  have  been  done  by  me.  My  anx- 
iety to  give  you  not'ce  was  at  least  e(pud  to  yours  to  receive  it. 
I  have  detailed  the  occurrence  fully  to  Captain  Beresford  Com- 
manding on  the  Halifax  Station,  and  forwarded  him  Copies  of 
the  Communications  between  me  and  the  Mayor  of  this  City. 
These  I  have  recjuested  him  to  communicate  to  you. 

You  are  perfectly  at  Liberty  to  nuike  what  comments  you 
please  on  what  you  have  tliought  proper  to  style  my  silence 
provided  they  are  founded  on  reason  and  truth. 

Hasty  decisions  are  generally  incorrect,  and  I  trust  yon  will 
after  the  perusal  of  this  letter  and  the  full  communication  I 
have  made  to  the  Naval  Commander  in  Chief  acquit  me  of  in- 
attention, and  feel  that  your  opinion  with  respect  to  myself 
was  made  up  at  a  moment,  when  it  was  not  in  your  power  to 
judge  correctly. 

I  was  yesterday  told  by  Peacok  the  Butcher,  that  he  was  to 
receive  payment  for  the  Articles  forcibly  taken  from  the  Boat 
going  down  to  you.  Should  he  fail,  an  application  shall  be 
made  by  me. 


TO   Mil.   MERRY. 


Sir. 


New  York  IT  May  1806. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  you  copies  of  a  letter  from 
Henry  Whitby  Esq'  Commander  of  His  Majesty s  Ship  Lean- 


'  i  t 


\: 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-1800 


241 


,'self 
;er  to 

(vas  to 
3  Boat 
lall  be 


1806. 


(ler  to  ino,  witli  my  answer,  and  a  letter  from  mc  to  Captain 
Beresford  tlio  })rosent  Commander  in  Chief  of  Ilis  Majestya 
►Sliips  of  War  on  tlic  Halifax  Station. — 

From  a  poru.sal  of  these  I  trust  you  will  be  satisfied  that 
every  exertion  was  made  on  my  part  to  communieato  with 
Captain  Whitby,  while  ho  was  off  this  Port.  Should  this  be 
the  case,  I  have  to  intreat  you  will  fully  accpiit  mc  of  Captain 
Whitbys  charge  of  silence  ami  inattention  in  your  report  to 
Ilis  Majestys  Ministers.  The  facts  can  be  verified  under  the 
Oaths  of  four  or  five  persons  of  respectability,  if  deemed 
necessary. 

Between  the  20"'  of  April  and  second  of  May;  it  was  almost 
ujisafe  for  me  to  leave  my  house,  had  I  made  my  appearance 
on  the  Wharves  or  at  the  Coffee  House  insult  and  probably 
personal  injury  would  have  been  the  consecpience. —  I  once 
had  it  in  contemplation  to  have  sent  the  Pacquet  with  my  let- 
ters to  Captain  Whitby,  but  not  any  of  the  Pilots  would  have 
navigated  her,  and  as  the  Ship  was  insured,  her  indemnity 
v.'ould  have  been  on  my  shoulders,  in  the  event  of  a  deviation ; 
besides  as  the  time  of  her  sailing  was  well  known,  had  she  at- 
tempted to  move,  she  would  have  been  arrested  by  the  popu- 
lace ;  indeed  the  Packet  was  more  than  once  in  danger  during 
this  period. —  You  will  from  my  comnninications  to  the  Mayor 
and  his  answer  to  me,  observe  tliat  I  requested  from  him  and 
the  Collector  the  use  of  the  Revenue  Cutter,  then  lying  at 
Anchor  in  this  port,  for  the  purpose  of  going  or  sending 
to  Captain  Whitby  to  inform  him  of  the  accident,  and  the 
Mayor  declining  to  allow  that  Vessel  to  go. —  In  truth  every 
means  of  connnunication  was  cut  off;  and  I  by  accident  dis- 
covered that  a  Man  who  I  really  believed  a  confidential  per- 
son, and  who  I  wished  to  hire  to  go  down  to  His  Majestys 
Ships,  went  and  laid  my  proposal  before  the  Mayor,  and  when 
he  returner,  told  me,  he  was  afraid  to  undertake  it,  under 
a  conviction  that  it  could  not  be  effected,  and  that  he  shoidd 
bo  ever  after  odious  to  his  fellow  Citizens  if  detected. 


•  from 
Lean- 


16 


!:!! 


242 


COKKIOSPONDENCE  OK  THOMAS  15AKCLAY 


TO   CAPTAIN   BEKESFOKD. 


i. 


!       / 


Now  York  28'"  I\Iay  1800. 

{rt'ii'((te.) 
My  DEAii  Sii{. 

I  ivcoived  by  ilu'  last  Packet  your  aiTcctioiiato  letter  of  the 
9"'  of  May. —  I  am  Avholly  i<;noraiit  of  the  correspoiuleuee  be- 
tween Capt  \Vhit1)y  ami  the  Mayor,  exeei)t  that  j»art  of  the 
Mayors  answer  which  respected  my  not  havinj;'  a])plie(l  to  him 
for  his  protection,  for  the  safe  conveyance  of  the  oilicers  from 
henee  to  llis  Majesty's  Ships  near  Sandy  Hook.  On  this  I'oint 
I  liave  already  fully  informed  you  in  my  letter  of  the  2''  of 
May  and  laid  before  you  (\)i)ies  of  the  letters  that  i)assed  be- 
tween me  and  the  INIayor  on  that  subject.  It  is  probable  how- 
ever that  M'  Merry  has  taken  notice  in  liis  communications 
with  you  of  tliis  correspondence,  as  he  stated  some  days  since 
to  me  that  in  conseciuence  of  Captain  Whitby's  letter  to  the 
Mayor  of  this  City,  the  President  had  resolved  to  put  the 
whole  of  the  Act  of  Conp-ess  of  JNIarch  ISO')  into  force  —  M' 
Merry  did  not  make  any  other  remarks  on  the  letter,  nor  has 
the  Pi'csident  published  a  .second  proclamation. — 

Great  liritain  at  tlu;  present  moment  has  a  sufticiency  of  En- 
emies to  contend  without  addinj?  the  Americans  to  the  number, 
and  the  export  of  her  manufactures  in  c<  iisi'([uence  of  the  late 
measures  stands  now  in  a  ^vont  depjree  limited  to  America,  a 
War  therefore  with  these  States  would  be  very  unpopular  and 
prejudicial. —  I  do  not  from  hence  intend  to  infer  either  that  1 
think  a  war  probable,  because  I  know  it  to  be  of  all  things 
what  the  Americans  most  deprecate,  or  that  Givat  liritain  to 
avoid  a  War,  .should  cede  a  particle  of  her  riii:hts;  but  that  we 
shoidd  if  possible  preserve  an  aniictable  intercourse  with 
them. —  In  my  last  private  letter,  I  took  tlie  liibm-ty  to  advise 
you  until  you  was  superseded  in  your  command,  or  received 
explicit  orders  from  Government,  to  consult  with  Judge  ('roke 
and  the  Chief  Justice,  on  the  subject  of  the  orders  you  might 
give  to  the  captains  of  the  Ships  under  your  Command,  re- 
specting neutral  rights  ami  Jurisdiction. —  The  Laws  of  Na- 
tions ou  this  subject  arc  vague  and  uncertain,  and  in  most 


,:i 


('()NSUL-(iENKl{ATi,    ISOl-lSOC. 


243 


ciisos  liuvc  1)('(M\  promulpitcd  iindor  tlio  infliu'nco  of  touiporjuy 
power.  IvcjisoM  liowcvcr  iniist,  jissijjfn  a  cerliiiii  portion  of  tlie 
Soa,  coiUijjfuous  to  llu^  tcM-ritory  of  ovcry  (ii>V('nmu'iit,  as  witliiii 
their  just  Jurisdiction,  and  those  liiiiils  on  tlio  nari'owost  pos- 
sible Scah'  ai'o  a  (Jnn  sliot  from  tho  Shore,  (whieh  taking-  a  wide 
I'antje  may  he  ealh'd  tlire(!  mih>s)  not  from  Iheir  Uaderies,  he- 
canse  it  may  so  happen  tliat  the  (Jovernment  may  have  no 
Batteries  near  the  Sea —  I  am  :  my  dear  friend  your  inten- 
tions are  ri^ht,  and  I  liavo  a  porteet  conluh'nce  that  your  orders 
will  he  dictated  by  sound  sense  and  prudence  — 


TO   VICE-ADMIllAL   IJEllKELEY. 


Si  It 


New  Voi-k  :!()'"  Sept'  180(5 


By  this  day's  iNlail  I  have  received  letters  from  lialtimoro 
and  Norfolk,  slatinsj:  that  the  French  Ship  Patriot  (^ipt  llo- 
ehou  of  74  (Juns  had  arrived  at  Annapolis  in  Maryland  and  tlie 
Syhelle  of  44  Guns  at  Norfolk  in  Virginia,  both  umler  Jury 
to])nuists,  much  disabled,  and  tliat  the  Patriot  has  tin-own 
numy  of  her  (Juns  overboard —  These  Ships  with  the  renuiin- 
der  of  the  S(iuadron  under  Admiral  Williams  tS:  Jei'ome  Bona- 
parte, were  on  the  11)"'  of  Aut^ust  (after  haviui:;  been  on  tiiis 
coast)  about  luO  Leai;ues  to  the  Southward  of  Hermuda,  when 
they  encountered  a  Storm  which  lasted  until  the2P' —  During 
the  (Jale  the  Scpiadron  sei)arated,  and  the  otVicers  of  the  Patriot 
have  expressed  their  fears  that  some  of  the  Ships  have  foun- 
dered. These  two  Ships  after  the  (iale  made  for  the  Chese- 
peak,  and  such  as  have  weathered  <^he  Storm  will  probably 
also  make  for  that  Bay.'     The  Jamaica  licet  of  Merchant  Ships 

'  Williunnoz  sailod  from  Hrost  Dc-  I'onunoivo.     The  Capo  of  Good  lloix* 

<'onibi>r  14,  ISO."),  with  !i  snmll  siiuad-  siiiToiulorod  bcforo  he  coidd  roach 

roil  of  six  or  sovou  vessols.     His  in-  it,   and   on    h'arnin{i;    (his  fact    ho 

stnu'tions  woro  to  prooood  lirst  to  sliapcd  his  coiirsi^  for  tlio  coast  of 

tho  Capo  of  (^u)od  Hope,  and  tluMico  South  America  and  tho  West  Indies, 

in  such  direction  as  ho  niif'  '    'oeni  His  sipiadron   was  disi)ersed  by  a 

most  calculated    to   injure  liritisl;  hurricane  in  Ai;gust,  18l)(i,  as  hero 


* 


III 


/III 


% 


I  1 1 


,!■!? 

244 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


t   '!> 


experienced  the  same  Gale  about  80  Leagues  to  the  Eastward 
of  Bermuda.  The  Captain  of  one  that  went  down  has  arrived 
at  Baltimore,  who  says  he  suspects  many  others  shared  the 
same  fate. 

I  am  sorry  to  learn  the  accident  which  has  happened  His 
Majestys  Ship  Chicliester  a  Store  Ship  on  going  out  the 
Chesepeak  the  Pilot  run  her  on  shore.  She  has  sustained  so 
much  injury  that  it  has  been  thought  necessary  for  her  to  un- 
lode  at  Norfolk  and  to  be  hove  down  —  Col:  Hamilton  the 
Consul  tliei'o  writes  me  many  of  her  men  have,  and  he  appre- 
hends most  of  the  others  will  desert  —  ^ 


TO   MR.   FOX." 


SlR. 


New  York  4"'  September  180G. 


I  yesterday  received  a  letter  from  Baltimore  in  Maryland  of 
which  the  following  is  an  extract. — 

"  The  French  Ship  I'atriot  of  74  Guns  Captain  Rochon  an- 
chored yesterdaj'  in  Annapolis  Road  in  a  very  shattered  con- 
dition lier  Topmasts  all  gone,  &  a  number  of  her  Guns  thrown 
overboard  a  French  Frigate  (said  to  be  the  Cybelle)  of  44 
Guns,  has  also  arrived  at  Norfolk  about  the  30"'  August  dis- 
masted." 

"  These  Vessels  arc  part  of  the  Fleet  under  the  Command 
of  Williamez  &  Jerome  Bonaparte  which  was  dispei'sed  on  the 
20"'  Aug'  about  loO  Leagues  to  the  Southward  of  Bermuda, 
the  Gale  commenced  on  the  19"'  &  continued  to  the  21"'  &  the 


related  —  the  flagship  making  a  port 
in  Havana,  four  vessels  finding  rcf- 
ngo  in  the  Cliesapeake,  and  one  be- 
ing stranded  on  the  Virginia  beach. 
Tlio  V6t6ran,  commanded  by  Jerome 
Bonaparte,  reached  France  in  safety. 
It  was  the  belief  of  Docr^s  that  Je- 
rome had  deliberately  separated  from 


the  Admiral.  See  Du  Casso,  Los 
Rois  Freros  de  Napoleon  I",  p.  195. 

1  Similar  letters  vi^ere  sent  to  Ad- 
mirals Davios  at  Jamaica,  and  Coch- 
rane at  Barbadoes. 

-  Charles  James  Fox  became  For- 
eign Secretary  on  F'obruary  7,  1H06, 
after  Mr.  Pitt's  death. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


245 


officers  tliink  soiiio  of  the  Ships  must  have  gone  down,  none 
oi'  the  others  had  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake  on  the  l"*^  In- 
stant."— 

"  They  had  made  no  Captures  of  any  Consequence  that  I 
can  learn,  except  one  or  two  small  Bermuda  Vessels. —  It  is 
with  much  concern  I  have  to  inform  you  that  the  Fleet  from 
Jamaica  consisting  of  about  100  sail  which  left  that  Island 
about  the  1"*^  Aug'  experienced  tlie  Gale  on  the  20"'  100  Leagues 
East  of  the  Cajjcs  of  Virginia  one  of  them  the  Cumberland  of 
Leitli  foundered  &  the  Captain  who  has  arrived  here  fears 
some  of  the  others  have  gone  down." 

You  nmst  long  since  have  been  informed  that  this  Fleet  had 
been  in  the  West  Indies  but  very  fortunately  did  little  or  no 
mischief. —  Early  in  August  they  were  seen  near  Charleston 
South  Carolina  and  some  days  after  that  about  40  Leagues  to 
the  Southward  of  this  Port.  It  Avas  generally  at  that  time 
supposed  that  they  were  on  their  way  to  Boston  to  refit,  but 
from  the  Latitude  and  Longitude  they  were  in  on  the  20"'  of 
August  they  must  have  shaped  a  South  Easterly  course  either 
in  the  hope  of  meeting  the  Jamaica  Convoy  or  to  regain  the 
West  Indies. —  I  am  happy  to  announce  to  you  that  they  have 
hitherto  done  very  little  injury  to  British  Ships.  Some  Ameri- 
can Captains  have  been  on  board  this  fleet  they  all  agree  that 
they  were  wretchedly  manned,  their  Masts,  Spars  and  rigging 
in  a  miserable  state,  and  short  of  Provisions  and  water. 


1  i. 


(H'l;! 


'I  ' 
1  • 


TO   Mil.   MERllY. 


!  '  ' 


Sir. 


New  York  G  Sept'  180G. 


The  British  Letter  of  IManiue  Brig  Fox,  John  Thomas  Mas- 
ter arrived  at  this  place  from  Jamaica  on  or  about  the  12"'  of 
August  last  past.  On  the  IS"'  of  that  montli  Charles  Mathews, 
George  Kobinson,  John  Keid  and  Edward  Hicks  four  of  the 
crew  of  the  Brig :  went  before  tiie  officers  of  the  Police  of  this 

16* 


^  :l 


i 


i! 


t  : 


If 


W 


ii 


J  i  ;;t 


24G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


City  and  made  oath,  that  Thomas  the  Master  had  on  the  pas- 
sago  willfully  murdered  a  negro  man  (one  of  the  Ships  Com- 
pany) named  John  Good  by  cruelly  and  wickedly  beating  him. 
In  consequence  of  their  depositions  Captain  Thomas  was  ap- 
preliended  and  committed,  a  Bill  of  Indictment  has  since  been 
found  against  him,  and  he  has  been  arraigned —  By  advice  of 
His  Counsel  he  has  pleaded  to  the  Jurisdiction  of  the  Court, 
stating  that  he  is  a  subject  of  His  Britannic  Majesty,  that  the 
crime  (if  any)  having  been  committed  on  board  a  British  Ship 
on  the  high  Seas  is  only  cognizable  in  a  British  Court.  This 
plea  has  been  overruled  by  the  district  Judge  of  the  district 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  he  has  been  ordered  to  plead 
in  chief  guilty  or  not  guilty.  The  latter  will  be  his  plea,  wlii(!h 
he  declares  to  me  to  be  the  truth.  From  the  papers  I  have  the 
Honor  to  inclose  you  will  perceive  that  William  Hearst  the  mate 
or  first  officer  of  the  Brig  and  Chai'les  Gauverneau  the  Pas- 
senger have  deposed  the  reverse  of  the  four  Seamen ;  they  are 
unquestionably  more  worthy  of  credit  than  the  common  Sea- 
men, and  under  the  circumstances  I  advised  the  master  some 
days  since  to  stand  his  trial,  but  Business  having  called  Mr. 
Gauverneau  to  Canada,  and  having  now  only  the  testimony  of 
the  mate  to  oppose  to  the  oaths  of  the  four  Seamen,  his  Coun- 
sel have  advised  him  to  apply  to  you,  through  me,  to  demand 
him  as  a  British  Subject,  to  be  sent  to  Great  Britain  or  Ja- 
maica for  his  trial. —  I  inclose  therefore  the  certified  docu- 
Inents  delivered  to  me  by  them.  Under  the  late  treaty  of 
iA.mity  Commerce  and  Navigation  between  his  Majesty  and 
the  United  States  of  America  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  your 
right  to  demand  him,  as  a  person  charged  with  murder :  but 
as  that  treaty  has  expired,  he  can  now  only  be  demanded  un- 
der tiie  Laws  of  Nations.  Captain  Thomas'  counsel  are  of 
opinion  that  the  Prejudices  of  American  Jurors  against  Brit- 
ish Subjects  are  too  great  for  him  to  risque  his  Life  on  their 
verdict.  They  hope  to  put  off  the  trial  until  your  answer  can 
be  obtained,  by  making  an  affidavit  that  Gauverneau  is  a  ma- 
terial Witness. —  No  time  however  is  to  be  lost,  as  the  district 
court  are  now  sitting. 


rf 


.11 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180G 


247 


TO   MR.   MERRY. 


New  York  9  Sent^  180G. 


Dear  Sir. 


{Private.) 


I  was  all  day  yesterday  employed  in  search  of  a  fast  sailing 
Vessel  to  carry  the  Letters  to  Admiral  Berkeley,  but  did  not 
find  any  that  could  be  ready  before  Thursday ;  and  as  the 
Jjsirk  a  very  fine  fast  sailing  British  Schooner  a  constant  Tra- 
der sails  for  Halifax  tomorrow  I  have  thought  it  best  to  send 
them  by  her,  the  master  having  promised  to  carry  a  press  of 
sail  to  expedite  the  delivery  of  the  letters.  Two  objections 
lay  to  the  hiring  a  Pilot  Boat.  The  Pilots  of  this  Port  arc 
all  Democrats  and  much  attached  to  the  French.  Secondly 
the  price  per  day  of  a  Pilot  Boat  is  twenty-five  dollars. 
There  is  too  much  reason  to  suspect  had  I  hired  one,  they 
would  have  delayed  her  passage  to  Halifax  and  possibly  back 
again ;  at  all  events  no  confidence  could  have  been  placed 
in  them ;  and  before  they  engaged  with  me  they  would  have 
consulted  the  Mayor  ^  who  is  a  Frenchman  in  Grain,  who 
either  would  have  prevented  the  contract,  or  rendered  the  let- 
ters nugatory. —  I  had  written  Admiral  Berkeley  on  Saturday, 
notifying  him  of  the  arrival  of  the  Patriot  and  the  Sybelle  in 
the  Chesepeak  which  letter  is  now  in  the  Lark.  I  also  advise 
Admiral  Cochrane  of  the  circumstance.  I  hope  you  will  ap- 
prove of  my  having  put  the  letters  on  board  the  Lark  Instead 
of  a  Pilot  Boat  — 


^1 


! 


TO   MR.   FOX. 


Sir. 


Now  York,  29'"  Sept'  1806 


I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  you  a  duplicate  of  my  letters 
of  the  4"'  Instant,  acquainting  you  with  the  Gale  of  Wind  the 
French  Fleet  under  Admiral  Guillamez  had  e?icountered  to  the 

1  De  Witt  Cliuton. 


im 


.1- 


\^ 


il 


I 


Iff 

H  I 


1 

il 

Ml 

11  i 

1 

1 

! 

1 

H 

ii: hi    h 


24S 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Southward  of  Bermuda  on  the  19,  20  &  21  of  August,  and  of  a 
Ship  of  the  Line  and  a  Frigate  of  that  Fhset  having  got  into  the 
Chesepeak  in  a  very  wretched  state,  under  jury  topmasts  and 
most  of  their  Guns  having  been  thrown  overboard. —  Since 
tliat  the  Valereux  Frigate  has  got  into  the  Dehiware  in  a  sini- 
ihir  State,  and  the  Eole  a  line  of  Battle  Ship  equally  a  wreck 
has  arrived  within  the  capes  of  Virginia  —  The  Impctuoux 
another  of  that  fleet  made  the  capes  of  Virginia  some  days 
since,  but  Avas  discovered  by  the  Melampus  Frigate  one  of  the 
Squadron  who  pursued  and  ran  her  on  shore,  took  the  officers 
and  men  out  and  burnt  the  Ship.  I  have  understood  that  the 
officers  and  men  were  immediately  landed  and  set  at  Liberty, 
having  been  taken  within  the  American  marine  Jurisdiction  — 
The  Americans  complain  of  the  act  of  the  burning  of  the 
French  Line  of  Battle  Ship  within  their  Waters. 

A  British  Squadron  under  Sir  R  Strahan  arrived  off  the 
Capes  of  Virginia  about  the  12"'  of  this  month,  from  the  best 
accounts  this  Squadron  also  suffered  much  during  the  Gale  in 
August;  and  on  the  20"'  Instant  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren 
with  six  sail  of  the  Line  also  arrived  there :  and  I  suspect  con- 
tinue off  and  on  the  Capes  in  expectation  of  some  of  the  French 
ShijiS  arriving  there.  An  American  Captain  who  arrived  here 
about  a  Week  since  states  that  he  met  Jerome  Bonaparte  in 
his  Ship  at  Sea,  on  her  way  to  France  —  It  is  generally  sup- 
posed that  the  remainder  of  the  French  Ships  foundered  in  the 
Gale  —  Those  within  the  Capes,  will  probably  remain  some 
time,  as  they  require  great  rep^i'rs,  and  it  is  said  no  mercha^it 
will  advance  money. 


TO   MR.  MERRY. 

New  York  25  October  180G 
Sir. 

It  was  not  until  late  last  Evening  that  I  received  an  answer 
from  the  Counsel  of  Captain  Thomas  of  the  Brig  Fox  to  the 
Communi(!ation  contained  in  your  N"  14  and  the  Copy  of  M"" 
Madisous  letter  accompanying  it.    They  are  of  opinion  that  an 


CONSUL-GENERAL,  1804-180G 


249 


appeal  in  Criminal  Cases  will  not  lay  from  the  district  Court 
to  tlie  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States;  altlio  the  Laws 
have  provided  for  an  appeal  in  such  eases :  And  that  therefore 
the  remedy  proposed  by  the  American  Secretary  of  State  if  at- 
tempted Avould  meet  with  a  negative  on  the  part  of  the  Supremo 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  probably  in  the  first  instance 
be  over  ruled  by  the  District  Judge.  The  Counsel  are  further 
of  opinion  that  in  a  similar  case  if  application  had  ])een  made 
by  any  nation  in  amity  with  Great  Britain  for  the  delivery  of  a 
Subject  of  such  nation  charged  with  murder,  that  the  person 
so  charged  would  be  delivered  up ;  and  that  a  case  can  not  be 
cited,  wherein  Great  Britain  has  refused  the  application,  and 
the  Court  proceeded  to  try  and  sentence  the  person  so  charged. 
They  adnut  that  applications  have  been  made,  and  refused,  but 
in  such  cases  the  murder  was  committed  by  the  Foreigner  on 
the  high  Seas  on  board  a  British  Ship,  upon  the  principle  that 
the  Ship  constituted  the  Jurisdiction. —  M'  Harison  one  of  the 
Counsel  for  the  Prisoner  is  allowed  to  be  one  of  (if  not)  the  sound- 
est Lawyer  in  America. —  Unless  therefore  you  feel  yourself 
at  Liberty  to  make  a  second  application  for  the  delivery  of 
Thomas,  and  it  proves  more  successful  than  the  former,  the 
poor  man  must  go  to  Trial  early  in  November  under  all  the 
disadvantages  of  the  want  of  Witnesses  and  probably  a  preju- 
diced Jury,^ 


% 


I  (i 


■  (  _ 

1 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL   BERKELEY. 


500 

jswer 
|o  the 

)f  M' 
lat  an 


Sir. 


New  York  17'"  November,  ISOG. 


In  consequence  of  M''  Merry's  request  for  leave  of  absence ; 
The  Honorable  David  Ei'skine  has  arrived  at  "Washington  in 
these  States  as  His  Majesty s  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Minis- 
ter Plenipotentiary  and  has  been  received  as  such  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.-     M""  Merry  has  taken  leave  and 

1  No  record  of  this  case  can  now  brouglit  to  trial,  the  cviclonco  against 
be  found  in  the  Clerk'b  Office  of  the  him  being  really  very  weak. 
United  States  District  Court.     It  is  '-'  Mr.  Erskiue  arrived  at  Washing- 
probable  that  Thomas   was  never  ton,  November  4,  180G. 


I 


rw 


250 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


1 


will  sail  from  the  ClKJsapoak  in  all  this  month.  M"  ^lerry's 
state  of  health  is  unequal  to  a  "Winter  voyage  —  I  have  a  pub- 
lic disi)ateh  from  M'  Merry  to  you,  but  he  has  limited  its  con- 
veyance to  the  Ship  of  War  or  armed  Vessel  you  may  send 
during'  the  Winter  for  your  dispatches.  —  The  September 
Packet  is  not  yet  arrived,  in  a  few  days  the  October  will  be 
due. —  Accoimts  by  private  Ships  from  England,  state  that 
Lord  Howie  has  succeeded  to  foreign  department  vacant  by 
M'  Fox's  demise,  and  that  M^  T  Greville  is  first  Lord  of  the 
Admiralty.^  On  the  2G"'  of  September  Lord  Lauderdale  had 
not  returned  from  Paris;  yet  there  was  no  expectation  of 
Peace. —  Russia  and  Prussia  appear  condensing  their  forces 
and  making  every  preparation  for  War  with  France ;  who  is 
equally  active  in  her  measures. 

The  Valeureux  French  Frigate  of  44  Guns  which  arrived 
after  the  August  Gale  in  the  Delaware  and  went  up  to  Phila- 
delphia for  repairs,  has  on  a  survey  been  found  unworthy  of 
them. — A  fine  American  Ship  the  George  Washington  of  up- 
wards of  400  Tons,  with  a  figure  head,  quarter  and  Stern  Gal- 
laries  and  new  main  topnuist  has  been  taken  up  to  carry  to 
France  the  men.  Guns  and  Stores  of  this  Frigate,  she  will  sail 
about  the  25  of  this  month.  The  Indiana  another  American 
Ship  was  a  few  days  since  along  side  the  Valeureux  taking 
from  her  such  part  of  her  Guns,  Stores  and  men,  as  were  suji- 
posed  moi-o  than  the  Washington  could  carry,  this  last  named 
ship  will  sail  in  a  few  days.  As  either  of  these  ships  would  in 
the  event  of  capture  prove  good  and  valuable  prizes,  I  have 
dispatched  two  letters  on  Saturday  last  to  Halifax,  one  to 
Norfolk  and  two  by  Vessels  bound  to  the  West  Indies  to 
be  given  to  any  of  the  Commanders  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of 
War.  I  have  little  hope  that  either  of  my  letters  will  arrive 
at  Halifax  in  time  to  have  a  ship  (if  any  is  tiiere)  off  the  Dela- 
ware to  meet  the  George  Washington.  Put  that  of  Norfolk  I 
trust  will  be  delivered  this  Evening,  and  it  is  probable  one 
of  the  others  may  be  put  on  board  one  of  your  Ships  on  this 
coast. 

1  Ml".  Thomas  Grcnvillo,  a  brotlier  of  tlio  Lord  Grenville  who  was 
Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs  from  1791  to  1801. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1804-180(J 


251 


le  one 


In 


this 


/as 


TO   LOUD   IIOWICK.' 


Now  York  0"'  Dee'  1800. 
My  Lord, 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  your  Lordsliip  the  Speech  of 
tlic  President  of  the  United  States  on  the  o[)enin{^  of  the  pres- 
ent Session  of  Congress. — 

It  is  asserted  and  generally  believed  that  M'  Burr  late  vice 
President  of  the  United  States  of  America  is  at  the  head  of 
that  "great  number  of  private  Individuals  who"  (the  Presi- 
dent in  his  Speech  observes)  "  were  combining  together  arm- 
ing and  organizing  themselves  contrary  to  Law  to  carry  on  a 
military  expedition  against  the  territories  of  Spain." — The 
object  of  this  combination  is  not  known.  What  the  President 
suggests  may  bo  correct ;  but  it  appears  to  be  the  opinion  of 
the  best  informed  in  these  States,  that  M'  Burr's  views  extend 
to  a  division  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  creating  a 
new  Government  in  the  Western  part  thereof  — 

1  On  Mr.  Fox's  deatb,  Soptombcr  but  on  Soptombor  24,  Lord  Howick, 
13, 180G,  the  Foreign  Office  was  com-  afterward  Earl  Grey,  became  Sec- 
mittod  to  Earl  Sl^enccr  ad  interim  ;    retaiy  for  Foreign  Affairs. 


|M 


,!f 


1  i 


.:  \' 


r^ 


I 


I    i! 


1 

III 

Imr 

' 

Rl> 

i 

j 

i-inhb 

i 

S'!  ^  ■■ 

f 

{■'  Uf 

i 

y-     If? 

! 

!.:.' 

(CHAPTER  VI 

CONSUL-GENERAL,   1807-1812 

THE  samo  month  of  April  tlmt  witnessed  tlio  killing 
of  Peiireo  liad  witnessed  also  the  beginnin<jj  of  that 
long  and  fruitless  struggle  whicli  Jefferson  and  IMadison 
carried  on,  in  the  vain  hope  of  comi)elling  the  European 
belligerents  to  respect  the  just  rights  of  the  United 
States  as  a  neutral  nation.  On  April  15, 1806,  Congress 
had  passed  the  non-importation  act,  prohibiting  the  im- 
portation of  a  long  list  of  British  manufactures,  and 
this  had  been  immediately  followed  by  the  appointment 
of  William  Pinkney  of  Maryland  as  a  special  envoy  to 
England.  Pinkney  was  instructed  to  unite  with  Mon- 
roe, then  American  Minister  to  England,  in  one  more 
effort  to  effect  an  amicable  settlement  of  all  differences ; 
but  they  were  to  agree  to  no  treaty  which  did  not  in- 
clude a  renunciation  of  the  right  of  impressment,  and 
which  did  not  satisfactorily  settle  the  questions  con- 
nected with  the  West  India  trade.  Pinkney  had  joined 
Monroe  in  London  late  in  July,  and  negotiations  had 
since  been  actively  carried  on  with  the  government  of 
which  Mr.  Fox  was  the  head. 

This  was  the  situation  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1807,  so  far  as  was  known  in  America ;  but  important 
events  had,  in  fact,  happened  in  Europe,  of  which  the 
news  had  not  yet  arrived.  On  the  last  day  of  the  year 
180C  Monroe  and  Pinkney  had  succeeded  in  getting  the 
British  commissioners  to  sign  a  treaty  of  amity,  com- 

262 


• 


CONSUL-OENERATi,    1807-1812 


253 


m- 


it  of 


rear 

[taut 

tlio 

rear 

the 

eom- 


Triorco,  and  iiavij;'atioii.  The noiijotiatioii  liad  boon  greatly 
facilitated  by  tli(5  simple  process  of  disregarding  the  pos- 
itive instructions  of  the  President.  But  even  then  the 
British  negotiators  were  not  entirely  content  witli  the 
terms  of  the  treaty,  and  they  accompanied  their  signa- 
tures by  a  written  warning  that  the  King  would  'hu'line 
to  ratify  their  act  unless  the  United  States  should  forci- 
bly resist  the  operation  of  Napoleon's  Berlin  decree. 

The  Berlin  decree,  which  was  soon  to  become  familiar 
throughout  the  United  States,  was  dated  November  21, 
180G.  It  uinhn'took,  by  a  mere  e<lict  of  the  Emperor's, 
to  prohibit  all  commerce,  oven  in  neutral  vessels,  be- 
tween the  British  islands  or  colonies  and  any  part  of  the 
European  continent  which  was  under  the  control  of 
France ;  it  declared  the  British  islands  to  be  in  a  state 
of  Idockade ;  and  it  directed  the  confiscation  of  any  ves- 
sel which  entered  a  continental  port  after  having  been 
in  any  British  possession. 

The  English  Government  were  not  slow  to  reply.  In 
addition  to  calling  upon  the  United  States  to  resist  the 
decree,  an  order  in  council  was  issued  on  January  7, 
1807,  by  which  all  trade  was  forbidden  between  any 
two  ports  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  The  doctrine 
that  one  nation  could  forbid  another  to  trade  peace- 
fully between  two  foreign  ports,  was  certainly  novel. 
But  the  British  authorities  were  still  not  satisfied. 
They  went  further,  and  by  a  second  order  in  council, 
dated  November  11,  1807,  they  forbade  all  tradti  with 
the  continent  wherever  originating,  unless  the  goods 
first  passed  through  an  English  port  and  paid  a  duty  at 
an  English  custom-house. 

Napoleon,  in  his  turn,  retaliated  by  the  Milan  decree 
of  December  17,  1807.  Every  neutral  vessel  was  to 
be  condemned  which  had  submitted  to  be  searched  by 


I 


ii: 


II 


« 


I 


m  f 


254 


{;ORRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS   RAUCIiAY 


ii  British  sliij),  or  luid  paid  duly  to  tin*  Hritisli  Govorii- 
nient,  or  had  covxio  from  or  was  bound  to  uuy  British 
possession. 

Such  woro  tho  arbitrary  dooroos  and  oi'dors  by  which 
noutral  comincrco  was  attacked  on  every  side.  Tho 
British  (}overnnu;nt  allowed  no  neutral  ship  to  <jjo  to  the 
continent  Init  by  way  of  England.  The  French  seized 
every  neutral  ship  that  came  from  any  British  port. 
Tho  British  Government  declared  they  would  be  friends 
with  tho  United  States  only  on  condition  of  our  forci- 
bly resisting  the  Berlin  decree.  Nai)oleon  declared  that 
he  would  confiscate  every  American  sliip  which  did  not 
forcibly  resist  any  attempt  of  a  British  num-of-war  to 
search  her. 

Tho  news  of  this  general  assault  upon  American  com- 
merce —  this  declaration  of  both  parties  to  the  European 
contest  that  there  should  l)e  no  more  neutrals  —  excited 
the  deepest  resentment  in  the  United  States.  But  it  did 
not  affect  tho  action  of  the  Government  in  regard  to  the 
British  treaty.  Before  the  news  of  tho  first  order  in 
council  had  reached  Washington,  Jefferson  had  per- 
emptorily declined  to  consider  the  question  of  ratifi- 
cation, or  even  to  submit  the  treaty  to  the  Senate.  But 
strangely  enough,  he  was  still  hopeful  of  success.  In 
spite  of  the  ditficultios  which  Monroe  and  Pinkney  had 
already  experienced,  in  spite  of  new  obstacles  to  an  ad- 
justment, instructions  were  prepared  looking  to  further 
negotiations  with  England.  This  second  attempt  came, 
however,  too  late.  The  growing  ill-will  between  the 
two  countries,  and  the  fall  of  the  Whig  administration 
early  in  1807,  had  already  served  to  render  negotiation 
practically  impossible ;  when  the  attack  of  the  Leopard 
upon  the  Chesapeake  toward  the  latter  part  of  Jnne, 
aroused  American  feelings  to  a  still  higher  pitch  of  an- 


1 


30111- 

peaii 

cited 

t  did 

othe 

er  ill 
pev- 

atift- 
But 
111 
had 

11  ad- 

rtlier 

ame, 

1  the 

atioii 

atioii 

ppanl 

jJuiiG, 

f  an- 


CONSUL-OENKRAL,    1H07-1812 


irOY 


After  nioiilhs  oL'  discusHion,  and  some  idle  at- 
teinpts  at  obtaiiiiii^  satisfaction  l>y  diplomatic  methods, 
l)iiblic  o[)iuion  at  hist  found  expression  in  the  passage 
by  Co  .(I'ess,  on  Dccenibc^r  22,  1<S07,  of  the  act  of  em- 
bargo, which  absolutely  closed  the  ports  of  the  United 
States  to  foreign  commerce  of  every  kind. 

The  effect  on  the  city  of  New-York  was  instantaneous. 
►Ships  wei'e  liurried  to  sea,  whai'ves  were  left  deserted, 
counting-houses  were  shut  up,  and  the  ordinary  duties 
of  the  liritishConsul-Generalcame  very  nearly  to  an  end. 

The  United  States  comi)rised  even  then  a  great  va- 
riety of  resources  witliin  their  borders,  and  were  able 
— though  dou])tless  at  the  expense  of  not  a  little  sulTer- 
iiig  —  to  dispense  with  foreign  markets  cither  for  sell- 
ing or  buying;  but  such  a  state  of  things  could  not 
long  continue.  Congress  had  never  contemplated  its 
duration  beyond  the  time  when  loss  of  the  American 
trade  should  make  Europe  more  moderate  in  its  views. 
But  Europe  was  not  to  be  moved  by  any  peaceful  ar- 
guments, and  the  experiment  was  of  necessity  aban- 
doned after  a  patient  trial.  All  through  the  year  1808 
and  the  first  two  months  of  1809,  the  heavy  hand  of  the 
embargo  was  laid  on  American  commerce.  The  close 
of  Jefferson's  administration  was  signalized  by  an  im- 
portant change  in  the  policy  of  the  American  Govern- 
ment. Almost  the  last  act  which  Jefferson  performed 
as  President  was  to  sign  the  new  law  which  repealed 
the  embargo,  and  substituted  non-intercourse  —  a  law 
which  instead  of  universal  prohibition  of  trade,  merely 
prohibited  commerce  with  Great  Britain  and  with  the 
countries  under  French  control.  The  statute  further 
authorized  the  President  to  suspend  this  prohibition  as 
to  either  Great  Britain  or  Franco  as  soon  as  one  or  the 
other  should  desist  from  violating  neutral  rights. 


'M 


i< 


iIk:. 


I 


k     ■         {■  I 


! 


256 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  TIIO:\IAS  BARCLAY 


Au  oxciiso  for  roiiowinjjj  commercial  relations  was 
not  long  delayed.  On  April  21, 1809,  immediately  upon 
the  rather  niiexpected  conclnsioii  of  a  liberal  and  satis- 
factory diplomatic  arrangement  with  Erskine,  the  Brit- 
ish minister  in  Washington,  the  non-intercourse  act 
was  suspended  as  to  Great  Britain ;  and  foreign  trade, 
long  dorma!it,  suddenly  sprang  into  excess^  )  activity. 
Tliis  happy  truce  was  short-lived.  Erskino  Inid  etfected 
his  arrangement  by  a  deliberate  and  almost  defiant  dis- 
regard of  Canning's  instructions;  and  his  acts  were 
l)romptly  disavowed  by  his  government.  His  recall 
was  followed  by  a  renewal  of  non-intercourse  under  a 
})residential  proclamation  of  August  9,  1809. 

But  notwithstanding  the  disavowal  of  Erskine,  the 
Jiritish  Government  had  made  an  apparent  concession 
to  the  United  States  by  the  adoption  of  now  orders  in 
council  which  revoked  the  stringent  prohibitions  of 
the  orders  of  1807,  and  substituted  a  paper  blockade  of 
all  ports  and  places  under  the  government  of  France — 
a  distinction  which,  on  the  whole,  was  perhaps  without 
any  important  difference.  France,  on  the  other  hand, 
entered  upon  a  course  of  further  aggressions.  Louis 
]5onaparto  was  driven  from  his  kingdom  of  Holland 
because  he  refused  to  attack  neutral  commerce,  and  all 
American  sliips  found  lying  at  Amsterdam  were  seized. 
Finally,  by  the  decree  of  Rambouillct,  every  American 
shi})  found  in  any  French  port  was  confiscated  and  or- 
dered sold. 

England  and  the  United  States  thus  seemed  for  the 
moment  to  be  slowly  drawing  togetlior  in  the  presence 
of  a  common  enemy,  when  suddenly  the  whole  situa- 
tion of  affairs  was  changed  by  the  formal  announcement 
on  August  5, 1810,  of  the  Emperor's  intended  revocation 
of  the  decrees  of  Berlin  and  Milan,  such  revocation  to 


¥  i 


lij 


i:()NSUL-UKN101iAli,    ISOT-lSll] 


257 


)r  tlic 

Isciico 

situa- 

'iitioii 
iou  to 


tako  phu'o  on  th«  first  day  of  tlio  following  Nov(iiul>or, 
provided  tlio  Britisli  (Joviu'inuoiit  i'ovok«*d  tlicii'  oi'dors 
iu  council,  or  (and  this  was  tho  impoi'tant  provision) 
tlu"!  Unittnl  HtatcMs  causod  thoir  riji^lits  to  bo  r(!SiKM'.tod. 
Tliis  promise,  as  Naitolcon  had  privatc^ly  pointed  out 
a  lew  days  before,  connnitted  liim  to  nothing;  but  it 
was  accei)ted  with  all  seriousness  on  tlie  part  of  the 
United  States. 

In  reliance  upon  the  impcM'ial  word,  commercial  in- 
tercourse with  Great  [Britain  —  which  had  been  once 
mon^  resumed  in  May,  LSIO  —  was  for  the  third  time 
suspended.  This,  it  was  thought,  was  "causin<>;  Amei'i- 
can  ri,i;-hts  to  be  respected";  and  althouiijh  the  condinn- 
nation  of  American  slii[>s  went  on  without  a  pause  in 
every  continental  port,  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  cIuujj:  with  tlu3  stranjjjest  pei'tinacity  to  the  belief 
that  Napv/leon's  declarations  were  sincere. 

The  pra<;tical  effect  of  all  this  was  to  bar  tho  door 
against  any  possible  settlement  with  Great  Britain. 
Commerce  was  now  i)ermanently  suspended ;  there  was 
a,  long  list  of  grievances  to  be  redressed,  and  negotia- 
tion was  exhausted.  In  the  month  of  February,  1811, 
IMnkney  —  who  had  become  the  sole  American  I'epre- 
sentativo  in  London  —  took  an  "  inamicable  leave," 
and  further  eft'orts  looking  to  a  peaceful  settlement 
of  our  accumulated  difficulties  with  England  woi'e 
abandoned.  On  November  4,  1811,  Congress  met  in  a 
peri)lexed  but  somewhat  warlike  humor.  Much  tedi- 
ous debate  ensued.  It  was  not  until  Juno  18,  1812, 
after  many  hesitations  and  misgivings,  that  war  was 
actually  declarcul  against  Groat  Britain. 

On  July  I),  1812,  Colonel  Barclay,  acc^ompanied  by 
the  Britisli  Minister,  sailed  fi'om  New- York  on  H.  M.  S. 
Colibn  for  Englan<l 

17 


't 


i.b'i 


'■    !    ( 


258 


CORRESPONDENCK   OF   TIIOiMAS   HAKCLAY 


'ill 


Tho  six  pi'coediiig  yoars  had  been  for  Barclay  a  i)0- 
riod  of  (luiet  pro.sjxM'ity.  His  life  had  been  easy  and 
liappy.  His  fortune  had  increased  tliroiii^h  judicious 
investments  and  reasonal)le  economy.  His  ehlest  son, 
Heni'y,  was  now  well  established  as  a  merchant  in  New- 
York.  Do  Lancey  had  l)ecn  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major  in  the  I3ritisli  army  on  August  23,  1810,  and 
lieutenant-colonel  on  Fel)i'uary  2H,  1812.  Thomas,  on 
-June  8,  1808,  had  become  Vice- Admiral  Cochrane's 
Ha<;-lieut('iiant,  and  on  Jum)  14, 1809,  had  been  j:;iven  a 
ship  —  commanding  successively  the  Kpervier,  Snajt, 
and  Peruvian  —  with  the  rank  of  commander.  George 
had  left  Nova  Scotia  in  1808  to  join  Henry  in  business 
in  New- York ;  while  Anthony  had  gone  to  England  to 
complete  his  education  and  study  for  the  bar.  Only 
one  break  in  the  tV  'ily  had  comi^  by  death.  On  July 
8,  180!),  Schuyler  Livingston,  the  husband  of  Barclay's 
eldest  daughter,  died  at  Harlem. 


f 


i  i> 


I 


I  ■ '   i 


TO    VKJE-ADMIKAL   BEliKELEY,    HEKMl'DA. 

New  York  24  Jumuiry  1807. 

Several  fust  siiiliu,y  pilot  l)()iit  fScln toilers  uiul  perluips  other 
Vessel,  have  been  for  some  time  past  employed  in  ln'inging 
S[)cuush  Dollars  from  Vera  C-ruz  to  tliese  States  a  ^reat  jiro- 
[)ortioii  of  wliieli  1  uudijrstand  lias  been  laiidjid  at  New  Or- 
leans, Savannah  in  Oeorgia,  and  Charleston  South  Carolina; 
lai'^'e  snms  also  at  '*altimoi'e  in  Maryland  and  perhaps  two  or 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  this  City.  It  is  said  and  I 
believe  with  truth  that  the  house  of  Mess™  Hope's  of  Amster- 
dam and  an  extensive  house  at,  naiiil)ur{jf,  have  either  pnr- 
(iliased  these  Dollars  from  the  King  of  Spain  deliverable  to 
tlu^m  at  Vera  Cruz ;  or  that  they  have  contracted  to  bring 
them  from  thence  and  on  their  arrival  in  Europe,  or  the  pi'o- 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1S07-1812 


259 


(!oeds  from  tliem  to  pay  the  Spanish  Government  —  The  Dol- 
hirs  when  they  arrive  in  tliese  States  I  snspect  are  empk)yecl 
in  purchasing-  (!otton  Coflfee  Sugar  &c  &c  &c  whieh  are  re- 
niitt(!(l  to  Europe  —  Tlie  Sehoouf^r  pih)t  Boats  in  which  most 
if  not  all  the  money  is  brouglit,  are  low,  hmg  vessels,  very 
sharp  and  sail  fast.  [  thought  it  my  duty  to  give  you  this  in- 
formation and  hope  you  nniy  he  so  fortunate  as  to  intercept 
some  of  them.  M'  Parish  one  of  the  House  at  Hamburgh  is 
in  these  States  sup<!rint(mding  tlu^  Business,  but  he  has  re- 
spectable merchants  in  tlu;  Ports  mention(;d  acting  as  his 
Agents,  or  perhaps  in  their  own  names'  — 


TO   Mil.  EKHKINE. 


,1 


glllg 
pro- 
w  Or- 
ylina  -, 
,\vo  or 
and  I 
mster- 
r  pur- 
ine to 
bring 
e  pro- 


New  York  2''  February  1807 

{Prirnfi'.) 
Dear  Sir. 

I  am  this  day  honored  with  your  private  letter  of  the  nO"'  of 
Jauuary  covering  two  Proclamations  from  Sir  Eyre  (^oote 
Lieut  Governor  of  Jamaica  which  T  will  take  care  to  have 
inserted  in  the  News  Pai)ers  of  this  city.- 

Previous  to  the  receipt  of  your  letter  I  had  noticed  in  the 
Aurora  a  newspaper  published  in  Philadelphia  a  violent  I*hil- 
iypie  against  me  for  the  letter  1  had  written  in  favor  of 
Mess"  Rutgers  and  Seaman  the  owners  of  thc!  American  Ship 
Messenger,  and  of  which  M'  Madison  has  complained  to  youJ' 


1  Copies  of  tlio  fowgoiiiij;  Icttci' 
were  also  sent  to  Vico-Admiviil  Da- 
vies,  Jiiuiaiea ;  and  Kear-Admiral 
Cochrane,  Harbadoos. 

'•2  They  were  proehunations  per- 
niittiiif^  tlio  importation  and  expor- 
tation of  certain  articles,  for  a  lim- 
iteil  jx'riod,  in  neutral  vessels.  This 
Sir  Eyi-e  Coote  was  a  nephew  of  the 
better-known  East  Indian  General 
of  the  s.'ifiie  na.iiie.  lie  had  served 
in  the  \iuerican  War  from  Lontr  Is- 


land to  YorkI  own,  and  waaajipointed 
Governor  of  Jamaica  in  ISO'i  —  a 
post  he  held  till  ISOS.  He  died  in 
obscurity  and  disgrace  about  18124. 
■' Tlie  "violent  I'hilipiiie"  was 
jiublishcd  in  the  Aurora- -January  2!), 
1S()7.  The  followintf  extracts  will 
jrivea  snll'.cient  not  ion  of  its  purport: 

"WAinil.V    Kl'.DI'.KAI-" 

We  promised  to  say  souiethin^  about 
the  ship  MesHcntrer;  wo  can  say  a  i/rnil 


■it 


11  : 


I 


ti  "^ 


■i 


ill 


ill 


f 


I 


^  ) 

1 

f,l( 

I.I 


260 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Mess"  Rutgers  and  Seaman  of  tliis  City  Merchants  and  own- 
ers of  the  Messenger  on  hearing  that  tlieir  Ship,  on  board  of 
whieli  M'  Herman  Rutgers  was  super  Cargo,  had  been  sent  to 
Halifax  fen*  adjudication  requested  of  me  a  hotter  of  introduc- 
tion and  recommendation  to  sonn^  Gentlenuin  of  that  place. 
In  comidiance  with  their  solicitation  I  wrote  a  private  confi- 
dential Letter,  which  I  understand  has  been  improperly  inter- 
cepted and  published,  to  M'  Ilartshorne  a  merchant  in  Halifax, 
and  knowing  M'  Hartshorne  so  far  to  have  tak(Mi  an  interest  in 
the  Politics  of  these  States  as  to  have  a  predeliction  for  the 
f(Ml(n*al  Party  to  induce  liim  tlie  more  readily  to  act  in  favor  <»f 
these  Gentlemen  it  is  very  probable  I  rtipiesented  them,  agree- 
al)le  to  their  gcmeral  characters,  to  be  "  warm  Federalists  " — 
With  the  Politics  of  this  Comitry  I  never  did  n«r  will  T  ever 
interfere  —  Mess"  Rutgers  and  Seaman  are  Gentlemen  of  re- 
spectability in  this  City,  of  whom  I  have  little  personal  Know- 
ledge, we  do  not  visit,  nor  have  I  ever  met  them  in  <M»mpany. 


(leal  more ,  than  ovoii  wliat  wo  now  sball 
say ;  and  t  he  now  ndvocnU'.  of  tlic  "  (jrvnl 
mea  roblicv"  m:iy,  porbaps  bcforo  \vc 
liavo  (bin(\  wisli  that  the  thing  bad  not 
been  nioddlod  with. 

'■'Mr.  Uultjrrs  is  a  gcnUemnti  and 
wnrmlji fc(lrr<tl"  Haid  Mr.  narclay.— 

Did  you  »',v<!r  hiw  a  cat  catch  a  nioiiso  { 

When  a  cat  catcliCH  some  kindof  mice— 
tboy  ari)  cat  up  — they  are  devoured  at 
onco  —  smack— '\m  riono ! 

Those  arc  your  democratie  miec  —  vfo. 
vocollcct  tluit  a  great  iu)ifio  waHUiadc.  in 
congro.sH  kouu)  nine  or  ton  yearH  ago 
al)<»ut  Bueli  tilings. 

Hut  tlicrc  aro  rnis,  which  the  (^ats 
HoinotiuiCH  eatcli.  Did  you  ever  hoc  a 
cat  pbiy  witli  a  rat  ? 

Ono  of  your  "warm  federal"  rats — 

I'usH,  wlu'u  sho  catclios  tliis  species  of 
rats,  lets  tlieui  go  a  bit ;  — thenHlu*  puts 
ou(,  her  iietlu'.r  paw  and  catc^lies  tlieiu 
again  —  you  would  Hupjioso  that  she  bo- 
canio  fond  of  tluini,  from  tbo  fraternal 
tnifin  hIio  gives  thorn,  she  tosses  tbcni 
up  —  tlioy  arc  a  littl'  uu'd  —  tbo  rats 

thou  cry  out  tlm  are  "warmly 

federal." 

Puss  lots  tboni  gothon— butsbflHondH 
tbou)  ott'in  a  direction  from  their  naln- 


ral  /to/f»  — and  they  fall  into  tbo  proctor 
traps,  and  the  lawyer  traps,  and  tbo 
agency  traps.  There  tbo  rats  again 
fiquealc  out  that  they  aro  "  warmly  fed- 
eral." 

They  aro  thou  put  under  the  gront 
7V>»i  ral  of  tbo  admiralty  —  I'uss  catches 
them  and  tos.ses  them  and  paws  them, 
and  plays  with  tliem,  and  gives  them 
hopes  of  escaping. 

nut  at  last  Tom  Puss  after  amnsiny 
himself  witli  them  until  bo  is  tired  of 
;j/a)/  — notwithstanding  all  their  protes- 
tati(Uis  of  being  "  warmly  federal  nits 
and  yetitleman  rats"  poiinces  upon 
tbom,  and  devours  and  eats  tboni.  Just 
as  she  would  thvi  democratic  mice  — tho 
last  squeak  is  all  that  is  hoard  of  thorn — 
so  of  tta  xihip  Mcsscuycv. 

The  object  of  the  British  governniont 
is  to  cramp  your  trade  in  order  that  they 
may  monoiiolize  it— for  tliis  tboy  pliiu- 
der  you,  and  care  littlo  whether  federal, 
fpiiddical  («•  denio('rati<!al.  They  may 
not  devour  you  at  once,  as  hungry  eats 
swallow  mice,  but  tboy  will  play  with 
you,  and  tantalize,  and  deceive  you,  as 
fi'deral  riits— but  tboy  will  devour  you 
all  if  they  ean  at  last. 


■■I 


li 


CONSUL-UENEliAL,    KS07-l«Hi 


2G1 


But  ill  (k'.scri))iiii>'  a  (icuMcnwui,  I  suspect  1  urn  ontithKl  to  say 
he  is  a  Fedcnilist  or  an  autitV-deralist  as  lu;  aud  the  i)ersou  to 
whom  lie  is  recoiiiineiKh'd  may  liappoii  to  he  without  ^ivin^'  ot'- 
f('us(}  to  the  oj)posite  Party.  Tlad  tliese  (lentlemen  ))eoii  auti- 
foderal  and  M'  llartslioi-iics  seutimeuts  (H)rrespo)id('d  witli 
theirs,  I  assuredly  shouhl  have  des(!ril)e(l  tlwm  to  him  as  such. 


P 


h'li  1 


jhiitllify 
loy  i»lun 

Ly  may 

Lr,.y  C.lliH 

jay  -with 

,  you,  ilR 

vour  yoH 


TO    MK.  EllSKINE. 

New  York  lU'"  Mureh   1807. 
Dear  Sir 

I  am  particularly  indebted  to  you  for  your  private  letter  of 
the  5"'  Instant,  at  a  moment  when  you  must  have  heen  more 
than  ordinarily  hurried  &  1  shall  bear  in  memory  this  flatter- 
\u^  j)i'0()f  of  your  attention  and  r{\!i,'ard,  for  which  I  intreat 
your  aeeejttauce  of  my  warmest  acknowledyiiunits.  I  nm 
sorry  that  a  treaty  formed  on  thi'  part  of  His  Majesty  with 
every  wish  for  consideration  should  not  meet  the  approbation 
or  at  least  the  aceei)tance  of  the  President  of  these  States.' 

On  the  im[)ressnient  of  American  Seamen,  I  fe(4  assured 
that  the  Commissioners  of  both  nations  on  debating-  the 
Subject  found  insuperable  difficulties,  and  on  mature  re- 
(leetion  considered  it  best  to  pass  it  suh  silentio. —  The  im- 
pressment has  for  years  past  been  used  as  a  ])olitical  En«rine, 
when  in  truth  tlu^  numbcu"  of  bona  fide  American  Seamen  de- 
tained on  board  Ilis  Majestys  Sliips  of  War  was  trilling'  in  the 
extreme  when  coni[)ared  with  those  who  were  claimed  by 
America  as  such. —  The  Note  delivered  by  the  British  Oomm™ 
to  the  Ameri(!an  Com"  prior  to  the  signinj^  of  the  Treaty 
was  dictated  by  imperious  circumstances  and  necessary  for 

1  This  was  tho  tiraty  iiogotiatud  dont  to  submit  tlio  trwity  lot  ho  Sun- 
by  Moiiroo  ami  Piukuoy  and  aif^iiod  uto.  This  Mr.  .lolTorsoii  steadfastly 
Doi'oiubor  31,  180(5.  Erskiue's  oopy  rofiiH(M]  to  do.  Tho  treaty  itself  and 
arrived  in  Washinj^ton  on  March  ■!,  aceonipanyinj^  correspondonco  is 
just  asOongresswasadjourning,  and  printed  in  Aiiu'r  State  Papers,  For. 
his  unusual  iiurry  was  duo  tohisun-  Kol.,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  109-183, 
availing  efforts  to  imlueo  the  Prosi- 
17* 


n 


2()2 


COltUESl'ONDKNlII':   OF   THOMAS   BAItCLLi^Y 


the  isecurity  of  tlie  Interest  of  Britain,  I  niij^ht  add  f<jr  the  in- 
terest of  Amerieji.i 

If  npon  refleetion  you  feel  yourself  at  Liberty  to  entrust  to 
me  aeojjv  of  the  treaty  in  eonfidenee  that  it  shall  not  l)e  made 
public,  otlierwisc  than  in  arjj^uin<jf  on  it,  I  think  much  jifood 
mii'i'lit  be  derived  from  an  early  deveh»j)m(Mit  of  tins  Artich's 
attended  with  the  natural  remarks  on  the  benefits  or  disadvan- 
tajyfes  aeeruin^  from  eaeh  of  them,  and  a  eandid  enciuiry  into 
the  purport  of  the  note  delivered  with  the  Treaty.  Should  you 
concur  in  opinion  with  me,  not  a  moment  is  to  be  lost  in  trans- 
nutting-  the  Copy.  The  Public  mind  altho'  much  a|:;itated  is 
still  in  suspense  for  want  of  nuiterial  to  1  rm  an  opinion.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  add  that  undei-  these  circumstances,  a  favor- 
able impi-ession  is  of  great  eonseciueuee. 


It 

fo' 

fil 

I '  '  ^ 

1 

'.1^ 

i 

) ' 

<\  II 


TO    VICE-ADMIRAL    BEUKELEY. 

New  Yurie  31"  March  1807. 
Sir. 

In  the  inclosed  newspaper  you  will  pen^eivi^  a  statement  that 
the  American  Ship  lirntus  of  this  place  bound  for  Oonaives  a 
small  Ishuid  nejir  St  Doming'o,  had  exchanged  some  shots  with 
His  Majestys  Sloop  of  War  Stpurrel. —  If  this  should  have 
been  the  case  that  shi[)  has  become  a  lawfid  prize,  and  I  take 
it  for  grant(Hl  you  will  be  anxious  to  have  her  taken,  in  conse- 
(pienee  of  the  very  improper  conduct  of  her  Conimauder  in  fir- 
ing ui)on  one  of  His  Majestys  Sliips.  M'  Lewis  the  Supercargo 
or  Agent  on  board  this  Ship,  and  who  probably  commanded 
her,  is  the  very  person  who  when  he  commanded  tlie  American 
Ship  Leauder  tired  into  His  Majestys  Sliip  Fortunio  and  killed 
a  seaman.- — What  renders  the  conduct  of  M'  Lewis  [>arti(!nlarly 

1  Th!^s  oxtnionliiiiiry  iioto  is  in  bound  })y  tliu  signature  of  his  com- 
Amor.  State  Pai)ors,  For.  Kol.,  Vol.     raissioners. 


Ill,  p.  If)!.  It  was  to  tlio  ciroot  tliat 
unless  tlio  Amoriean  Govorimicnt 
sliouUl  forcibly  resist  the  ent'orco- 
in(!nt  of  Bonaparte's  Berlin  decree, 
the  King  would  not  consider  himself 


-  The  Loandor,  conimanded  by 
Thoinas  Lewis,  carried  Miranda's 
fili])ust('rs  to  South  ATuerica  in  Feb- 
ruary, 180G. 


I  m 


■a  i>y 

UK  la's 
Feb- 


CONSlTL-GENERAIi,    1807-1812 


263 


blnmoablo  is  his  Imvinjj^  promisiHl  inc  in  tlio  ovoiit  of  his  incpt- 
iiif?  one  of  His  Majcstys  Sliips  of  War  at  sea,  that  ho  would 
(lolivcr  up  a  dcsortfU"  from  the  Pa<',ket,  who  liad  entered  on 
bo.Mi'd  th(!  Brutus,  in  eonseipienet!  of  whieh  I  j;ave  him  a  letter 
of  introduction  to  the  Commander  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of 
War. 

The  Brutus  was  bound  to  St  Domiufro  foi-  the  recovery  of 
Debts  due  a  M'  Ogden  a  Banlo-upt,  who  also  was  on  1)oard  that 
Sliip,  and  to  rc^ceive  ])ayni('nt  in  Coffee  and  other  articles. 
Capt  Hyam  knows  this  Sliip,  us  lu;  saw  her  repeatedly  when 
he  was  last  hcire. —  Sin;  is  a  frencli  built  Ship,  lij^nre  head, 
Quarter  <i;-alleries,  )»ut  I  do  not  recollect  whether  sIk^  has  stern 
j^aUeries. — When  she  arriv<'d  here  from  the  Isle  of  France 
two  years  since  her  name  was  tlu^  James,  since  that  the  Km- 
peror,  and  now  the  Hnitus. —  She  will  remain  some  time  at 
the  Island  of  Uonaives. 


TO  LORD  HOWICK. 

New  York  '2'  Juno  1807. 
My  Lord  — 

M'  Cazeau^  .i  Frenchman  who  has  resided  as  French  Consul 
some  years  at  Portsnumth  in  New  llampshii-e  went  last  A u- 
tunui  to  France  with  an  intention  of  remaining-  there.  On  his 
arrival  he  had  an  interview  with  the  Ihnperor  and  sevei'al  with 
Tallyraiul  in  cons(i(pience  of  which  he  was  sent  out  early  this 
Sprinjif  to  America,  went  to  Washington  to  confer  with  the 
French  Minister,  and  has  proceeded  to  Portsmouth  with  a  view 
of  entei'ing  ( -anada  by  the  State  of  Vennont. — He  has  acipiired 
during  his  residcmce  in  Amerii^a  the  English  language  and 
Anierican  manmn's  to  a  degree  whi(di  will  enabh^  him  to  ])ass 
as  an  American,  and  tlun-e  can  l)e  no  doubt  1)ut  his  object  is  to 
sound  the  dispositions  of  the  Canadians  in  the  event  of  an  at- 
tem])t  on  Canada.  Of  all  this  I  have  informed  M'  Dunn  ad- 
ministering the  Government  of  Lower  (Canada,  and  gave  him 
a  particular  description  of  his  age,  ])erson  and  appea,ra,nc(',  so 
that  1  hope  he  may  1)e  a.ppreliended. —  1  have  reason  to  expect 


I IV 


COUIlESPONt)ENCE  OF   THOMAS    HAU(M.AY 


J,     t#l 

m 

I!! 


ho  will  eiKloftvor  to  tampor  wiMi  tho  iiilifil)it!iiits  of  Vermont 
and  tli()S(^  parts  of  tlie  State  of  New  Ilainpsliiro  iuid  Massa- 
(ilinsctts  whii^li  lay  nearest  Canada,  to  indnee  them  to  (H)oper- 
ate  with  a  Freneli  Foree  shonld  they  arrive  in  C-anada.  I  liave 
oonsid((red  it  my  dnty  to  communicate  this  to  your  Lord- 
ship, that  it  Tnay  be  laid  befon^  His  Majesty.  Every  nuiaus  in 
my  ])owcr  shall  be  used  to  disclose;  the  extent  of  M'  Cazeaux 
mission  to  Anu^rica  —  He  is  to  nsturn  to  Frniuu!  this  Autumn. 


TO   MR.   CANNIN(J 


1 


SiH. 


New  York  2a  Jxily  1807. 


A  very  unpleasant  o(!currence  has  lately  talv<'n  place  at  Sea 
off  the  Cai)es  of  Virginia  Ixitwecni  Ilis  Majestys  Ship  Leopard 
and  the  American  Ship  of  War  Chesapeak ;  of  which  you  will 
undoubtedly  receive  much  more  correct  information  from  M'. 
Krskine  His  Majestys  Minister  to  thest;  States,  and  fnmi  M'. 
Hamilton  the  British  Consul,  than  it  is  at  present  in  my  power 
to  give  yon.- 

I  shall  only  therefore  state  that  the  circumstance  is  viewed 
by  the  respectable  part  of  the  Inhii,1)itants  <»f  this  (!ity  and  the 
United  States  of  America  in  a  very  serious  point  of  view,  and 
that  the  lower  oi-der  of  the  American  are  nnich  irritated  and 
inclined  for  violent  nuiasures. 

I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  to  you  some  of  the  American 
News  Papers  on  tiio  subject. 

TO   MR.   CANNING. 

New  Yoi'k  r)tli  of  Aufjiist  1807. 
Sir 

You  will  naturally  at  the  present  moment  be  anxious  to  have 
any  information  from  these  States;  and  although  it  is  notim- 

1  George  Canning  boeamo  Secre-  of  Poi'lliiml  wcro  at  the  head  of  the 

tary    for   Foroi^ii    Affairs   April   H,  ailiniiiislratioii. 
1807,  on  the  dismiKsal  of  tho  Whij^        "  Tiu;  Leopard  fired  on  the  Ciiosa- 

Caltinet.  Mr.  I'ereeval  and  tlie  Duke  peake  .June  22,  1807. 


i' 


CONSUIi-GENERATi,    1807-1812 


205 


I 


Ctieaa- 


nu'diiitoly  within  iho  lino  of  my  dnty  to  cotnninnicatcwitli  you 
on  the  proscnt  occasion  {)erhai»s  it  nvay  not  bo  disiif^rocablc. 
Tho  nii(lsliii)niaM  and  soamon  made  })risonor.s  on  bmdini^  from 
one  of  Ills  Majostys  Ships  in  Hampton  lloads  hav(^  by  order  of 
tho  Pr(\sid(^nt  Ixuni  returned  —  I'reparalions  an;  nnikinj:,'  for  tlie 
fortifying;  of  this  and  the  other  prini^ipal  I'orts  in  these  States. 
About  fifty  (Jun  Boats  hiyinjjf  in  oi-dinaiy  in  this  placid  liave 
])een  j^ot  ready  for  service  —  iind  IDUOOO  militia  are  draft(^d  for 
service  on  short  notie.i!.  Congress  are  (failed  for  the  20  of  On- 
to])er  about  six  w<ieks  carlit^'  tlian  usual. 

I  tim  satisfied  that  tln^  rimcounter  ])etween  Ilis  Majesty's 
Ship  Leopard  and  tlu;  Ameri(!ii,n  Fi'ij;at(!  (Jhesapeak,  will  by 
tlu!  Amei'iean  (Jovernment  be  made  tin;  instrument  of  pirssinpr 
(Ml  His  Maj(!sty's  Ministers  that  the  American  Flag  shall  pro- 
tect all  Seamen  and  j»assengers,  other  than  Sid»jeets  of  Pow- 
ers at  War  with  (irea,t  Hi-itain.  What  confirms  this  opinion 
is  a  late  puldieation  at  Boston  of  an  official  Lcitter  on  thissul)- 
j(!c.t  in  1.S04  from  M'.  Madison  the  Secretary  of  Sta.to  to  M'. 
Monroe  Minister  at  London.  It  must  have  been  published  at 
M'.  Madison's  instance,  and  at  Boston  that  it  miglit  ap{)ear  to 
come  from  a  different  Source  and  to  operate  on  the  minds  of 
pei'sons,  who  think  v(;ry  widely  perhaps  from  M'  Madison. — 

The  lOastern  States  an;  avers(^  to  a  War  with  (rreat  Britain. 
In  this  States  a  gr(iat  propoi'tion  of  the  respectable  characters 
iin)  of  similar  sentiments,  but  as  you  progress  to  the  S(mth- 
ward  they  are  nu)ro  warm,  and  in  Maryland,  Vii'ginia  an(i  the 
(■aroliiuis  I  suspect  War  would  be  a  i)opular  measure.  It  lias 
l)een  with  great  r(fluetance,  thatwitiiin  these  few  weeks,  I  have 
b(MMi  ol)liged  to  believe  tlie  present  administration  in  these 
States  are  not  averse  to  war.  What  the  inducement  (!an  be  it 
is  impossil)le  to  say.  They  are  without  Shii)s,  or  Land  P\)rces ; 
and  the  JievtMUie  drawn  wholly  fi-om  import  duties  dt^pendaut 
on  (Jomnnn'ce. — 

By  an  a(!t  of  ('ongress  a  part  of  the  funded  Dc^bt  is  ordered 
to  be  purchased  in  half  yearly  by  the  Cashier  of  the  United 
States  Bank.  About  a  fortnight  since  an  order  was  issued 
from  the  (iovernnu;nt  that  he  should  ])urchase  no  stock  st.i;id- 
ing  in  tin;  name  of  a  Foreigner,  or  which  had  b(M>n  transfered 


'  ( 


i. 


CORRKSPONDENCE  OK  THOMAS   BARCfiAY 

})y  Ji  fnreijjfiior  to  an  Amorican  (Mtizen  .su])soquont  to  tlio  fii'st 
of  .Inly. —  Tliis  nioiisnrc  is  ])ointo(l  to  liritisli  Snhjocts,  and 
evinces  fui  inclination  to  sc((n('stt'r  or  coiiliscalc  tlicir  projM-rty 
slionhl  a  war  tak(!  plnec. 


I'O   VTCE-ADMIIIAL   BEllKELRV, 


Now  York  11'"  Au«?iist   1S07. 
Sir. 

r  yesterday  received  your  letter  of  the  fourth  of  July,  in- 
forin!n<i'  nie  that  the  triinsiiclion  olH'  the  ('a])cs  of  Vii'<iinin  l»e- 
t\ve(!n  His  Mii,j(^stys  Ship  Ije()])ii.r(l  and  the;  United  Stiitos  Fri- 
J4'ate  (Miesapcak  had  hcn-n  much  misrepresented  in  some  of  tiie 
American  ne\vsiiap«n"s,  which  you  was  a[)i)rehonsive  nii^dit  oc- 
casion animosity  l)etween  the  two  Nations,  that  you  tliought  it 
proper  to  inclose  nio  a  eoi)y  of  the  orders  under  which  the  (-ap- 
tnin  of  t]i(>  Leopard  acted,  which  yon  had  not  issued  until  an 
application  to  reston^  the  mutineers  and  Deserters  from  the 
British  Ships  had  been  made  by  His  Majestys  Miiiisttn- (Vni- 
suls  and  officers  and  had  ])een  i-ejected  by  the  (lOVM'rnmeut  of 
the  United  States,  and  that  T  was  at  Li])erty  to  ])romot(^  the 
knowledfi-e  of  theii'  contents  in  whatevei'  way  I  mi<>:ht  think 
best  calculated  to  presei've  th(»  jjfood  undcj-standina^  which 
ou^dit  to  subsist  between  (Jreat  Britain  and  America. 

Y(mr  orders  to  the  ('OnunandtM's  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of 
War  under  _your  command  have  be(Mi  some  days  since  pub- 
lishtMl  in  most  of  the  American  News  Papers,  and  the  fact  that 
a  i'e<>nla,r  and  formal  demand  for  the  delivery  of  the  Mutineers 
and  Deserters  had  been  made  by  the  officers  of  ITis  Majestys 
Ships  in  Hampton  Roads  and  M'  (\)nsnl  Hamilton  on  the 
American  offl(!er  who  (Mitered  tliem  as  Seamen  to  serve  on 
board  the  Chesapeak,  and  by  M'  Erskine  His  Majestys  Minis- 
ter to  these  Stat(\s,  oti  tin;  American  Secretary  of  State  to  the 
sanui  effect  l)oth  which  demands  Iiad  respectively  been  re- 
fused, has  also  receiv  '1  every  possi])le  puldicity  through  the 
Medium  of  the  Ame..    m  Newspapers. 


(JONSUL-CiKNKUAIi,    1807-1«12 


207 


I  slijill  however  tiike  livcry  opport  unity  t.*)  .statu  tlu'  tniiisiiu- 
tiou  in  its  roul  colours  and  as  you  wish  it. 


TO    VICE-ADMIUAL    lUUlKliLEY. 


SlK. 


N(iw  York  [Alienist,   IS07J. 


I  have  ro(!eivc(l  your  (»ri^iuul  ami  dupliciatu  hitter  of  the  IT)"' 
of  'July  iiiul  th(;  hand  liills  which  a(',coni[)ani(!d  thc^ni.  I  had 
them  posted  up  in  tlie  i)arts  of  this  City,  but  tliey  wvw  the 
M((\t  day  either  mutilated  oi-  destroyed;  since  which  I  have 
hud  your  i'roelmual ion  (jllerinj,'  a  Pardon  to  l)es(!rters  pu))- 
lished  in  the  Nevvs[)ap(U's,  but  as  the  Period  for  their  surrender 
(to  wit  the  151st  of  Au^'ust)  was  so  nearly  expired  I  omitted 
puttiuf^  that  or  any  other  day  of  limitation  in  it,  because  in 
your  Proclatnation  you  hold  out  a  i'ai'don  to  tiiose  Seamen 
oidy  who  shall  imniediatcdy  n^turn  to  their  duty.  I<]very 
means  in  my  powin*  shall  ))e  used  to  mii,k(!  your  proclamation 
generally  known,  and  to  invite  British  Seanien  to  avail  them- 
selves of  it.  I  am  fearful  however  that  but  few  will  surriaider 
themselves;  because  they  g-et  such  enormous  wages  in  the 
American  Merchant  Service.  —  llendevous  have  bet.i  ojiened 
for  ent(!ri ng  Seamen  foi-  the  Amei-ican  Navy.  I  understand 
very  few  here  have  entered,  and  those  chietiy  were  of  colour 
or  Irish  Lands  nuMi. — 

I  havti  obtained  fi'oiii  Captain  Crafts  a  copy  of  his  letter  to 
M'  (lallatin  Secretary  of  the  American  Treasury  respecting 
two  men  Deserters  from  the  Mehun[)us  who  were  taken  out  of 
the  Chesapeak  by  the  Leopard,  and  who  Commodore  Barron 
of  the  Chesapeak  had  re[)orted  as  our  Newspapers  state  to  be 
American  Seamen  impressed  from  the  American  Hrig  Ni^ptune 
('rafts  Master.  I  inclose  a  OA)\)y  of  this  letter  which  I  have  had 
published  iu  the  newspapers  you  will  perceive  that  the  men 
deserted  the  Nepttnie  and  were  not  impressed  and  that  ('ap- 
tain  C'rafts  was  pleased  with  the  Treatment  he  received  from 
Captain  Poyntz  —  If  any  British  Seamen  offer  to  enter  His 
Majestys  Service,  I  will  take  care  to  forward  them  to  you. 


!  I 


■:^  ^  .^\ 


.0^  •  ^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


O 


o 


%^. 


K 


tf 


V 


^ 


f^^ 


¥    mis 

^0  C^J 


Wr 


/ 


fA 


M/.. 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


f  IIM  ilM 
m  ^ 

mm 

1-4    III  1.6 


V] 


<^ 


/a 


^c> 


j:^ 


0 


A 


/> 


J' 


/ 


/ 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


iV 


^> 


V 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14580 

(716)  872-4503 


«■ 


■^^ 


N> 


a.^ 


o^ 


>c- 


% 


^^ 


M 


<'  w^.. 


.<? 


% 


% 


0  -^ 


^ 


ril 


2G8 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


|i'.' 


V  lt» 


You  will  pardon  me  for  advisiiij^  you  that  if  you  send  a  Ship 
of  War  off  this  Harbour,  it  would  at  tho  i)rcsent  critical  mo- 
uwnt  bo  prudent  to  direct  that  she  should  as  little  as  possible 
inteiTupt  Ships  coming  in  or  going  out.  The  late  violence  is 
subsiding,  the  Eastiirn  People  are  very  moderatti  ami  opposed 
t<>  a  War  with  (Jreat  Britain.  Wlien  (!ojigress  meet,  they  will 
strain  every  nerve  tt>  in-event  it.  I  think  it  advisable  there- 
fore not  to  furnish  their  opponents  with  fresh  arguments. 


TO   MIt.   CANNING. 


mv' 


\ ' 


\ 


Sir. 


New  York  2"  Sei.i'  1807. 


M'  Gallatin  the  Ameri(!an  Se(U"etary  of  the  Treasury  having 
bei.Mi  lately  in  this  (Uty  called  on  a  Captain  ('rafts  late  Master 
of  the  American  Brig  Neptune  for  information  respecting 
some  Seamen  who  it  was  stated  Commodore  BaiTon  had  re- 
ported to  have  been  impressed  from  the  Neptune  in  the  Bay 
of  Biscay  in  the  y(Nar  1805  by  His  Majt^stys  Shii)  Melampus, 
two  of  wlii(;h  men  Ware  and  Mjirtin  were  tak(ui  from  the 
American  Pi'igate  Chesjipeak  in  June  last  as  Deserters  from 
His  Majestys  S(U'vice,  by  Cap'  Huniphi'eys  of  the  Leopard. — 
As  it  is  probable  the  American  reinonsti-ance  l)y  M'  Monro  the 
Minister  in  London,  nuiy  represent  these  men  as  impressed 
into  His  Majestys  Service,  I  inclose  you  a  copy  of  Ca[)tain 
Crafts  letters  to  M'  (lallatin  ami  to  me  on  this  Subject,  which 
state  the  reverse  to  h.ave  been  the  case.  It  is  probable  M' 
Monro  is  not  furnished  with  this  information  as  Captain 
('Vafts  told  uw,  when  he  delivered  the  hitter  to  M'  Gallatin  and 
he  had  read  it,  M'  Gallatin  d(vsired  him  to  keep  the  facts  to 
liimself,  or  not  to  make  tlusm  publi(!k.  Crafts  is  now  gone  up 
the  Mediterranean,  but  told  me  he  was  ready  at  any  time  to 
verify  under  oath  the  letter  and  what  Mr.  Gallatin  said  to  him. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1807-1812 


269 


TO  SIR  ROBEllT   LAURIE. 


New  York  5  Sep"  1807. 
Sir. 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2r)tli  of  Aufi^ist  by  Captain 
Bradshaw  of  His  Majestys  Sloop  (lohinihine,  informing  nie 
that  the  Tlonorable  Vice  Admiral  Berkeley  Commander  in 
Chief  upon  this  Station,  having  understood  that  many  British 
Seamen  had  expressed  their  wishes  to  join  the  Standard  of 
their  Sovereign  and  that  several  men  had  applied  to  me  for 
that  purpose,  he  had  directed  you  to  send  His  Majestys  Sloop 
of  War  (yohimbine  to  anchor  at  Sandy  Hook  for  the  purpose 
of  receiving  any  men  that  may  offer;  that  Captain  Bradshaw 
was  to  acquaint  me  of  his  arrival  and  to  remain  on  that  ser- 
vice, as  long  as  he  shall  think  it  necessary  after  consulting  with 
me. —  That  as  the  Columbine  was  in  want  of  water  and  pro- 
visions you  had  desired  her  Commander  to  demand  through 
me  such  supplies  as  he  may  stand  in  need  of,  and  as  the  Pres- 
idents Proclamation  does  not  seclude  Ships  of  War  carrying 
dispatches,  from  every  privilege  of  neutrality,  you  had  no  doubt 
I  would  forward  them  without  delay. 

I  did  not  receive  Captain  Bradshaws  letter  of  the  2d  Instant 
until  late  last  Evening  owing  to  the  Pilots  refusing  to  bring  it 
up ;  my  son  M'  HtMiry  Barclay  therefore  went  down  for  it. — 
Admiral  Berkeley  I  suspect  has  been  misinformed  i-especting 
British  Seamen  and  Landmen  in  this  Port  wishing  to  return 
to  the  Service  of  their  King  as  a  few  instances  have  occun-ed 
in  which  the  applicants  have  been  sent  on  to  Halifax  or  Eng- 
land, as  they  wished,  in  the  Pacquets.  I  really  cannot  think 
it  an  object  for  the  Columbine  to  remain  at  Sandy  Hook  for 
the  purpose  she  ho^  been  sent  for,  and  I  shall  so  express  my- 
self to  Captain  Bradshaw.  There  is  generally  a  Packet  in  this 
Port,  which  can  always  receive  ten  times  the  number  of  men 
who  will  offer. 

1  Sir  Robert  Laurie  was  captain  of  ship  Villo  de  Milan,  captiireJ  in  the 

H.  M.  S.  Milan,  and  senior  ollicor  of  West   Indies.     An   account  of  licr 

the  Britisli  ships  in  the  Chesapeake,  capture  is  given  iu  Basil  Hall's  Frag- 

The  Milan  was  formerly  the  French  nicuts  of  Voyages,  etc. 


h\ 


ihlel 


;    \ 


270 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


-1*  : 


li 


r 


ft  1 
11  i 


Monday  T'"  Sop" 
I  had  proceeded  thus  far  in  iny  letter  to  yon  on  Saturday 
and  was  going  to  add  tliat  the  (-ollector  of  this  Port  had  in  a 
very  handsome  inann(!r  consented  to  my  sending  down  to  the 
Cohunbine  the  provisions  of  which  Cap*  Bradshaw  represented 
he  was  in  need,  when  I  received  a  note  from  the  OoUector  in- 
forming me  that  he  was  under  the  painful  nc^cessity  of  retract- 
ing his  permission  and  that  he  was  (compelled  to  recpiire  Cap- 
tain Bradshaw  immediately  to  depart  from  Sandy  IIoolc. 

It  appears  that  a  Rcivenue  Cutter  lay  at  no  great  distance 
froni  the  Columbine,  that  a  man  deserted  fi'om  the  hitter  who 
Captain  Bradshaw  supposed  had  gone  on  board  this  (-utter, 
that  a  Boat  with  an  officer  from  the  Columbints  was  sent  to  the 
Cutter  to  enquire  about  this  man.  That  the  officer  was  told 
he  was  not  on  board,  but  that  he  was  not  satisfied  with  this 
assiu-ance,  but  declared  he  would  search  the  Cutter.  That  the 
Revenue  officer  who  commande<l  the  (hittei*  remonstrated 
against  the  measure  and  forl)id  it,  notwithstaiuling  which  the 
search  was  made;,  but  the  Deserter  was  not  found.  Tliis  is  the 
substance  of  the  Report  of  the  Revenue  officer  to  the  Col- 
lector, who  considers  it  an  act  of  violence  connnitted  on  an 
American  national  vessel  within  the  Jurisdiction  of  the  United 
Stat(iS,  which  justifies  and  rendei's  it  his  duty  to  order  the  im- 
mediate departure  of  the  (■olumbine.  1  hope  this  report  of 
the  Revenu<i  officer  may  be  exaggerated — I  have  not  yet 
h(iard  whether  Capt  Bradshaw  has  gone  to  Sea — On  Satui*- 
day  I  nuule  him  accjuainted  with  the  above  report,  and  I  hope 
this  day  to  hear  from  liim.i 


i 


TO   GENERAL   SIR  JAMES   CRATG,   GOVERNOR-GENERAL    OF 

CANADA. 


Sir. 


New  York,  22'  Nov'  1807 


I  some  time  since  informed  M'  Dunn  then  administei-ing  the 
Government  of  Lower  Canada,  that  a  W  Cazeanx  late  French 

1  An  accoutit  of  this  affair,  taken  from  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  will  be 
foiuul  ill  McMaster's  History  of  the  U.  S.,  Vol.  TIT,  pp.  267,  208. 


OONSUIi-UENKUAL,    1807-I811i 


271 


Consul  at  Portsniouth  New  Harnpsliirci  luul  arrivod  t'noii 
Fraiuto  (iliar^od  by  the  Frt'uch  (lovcriimeiit  to  vnsit  Canada 
for  the  pui'iMise  of  alienatinj^  the  affections  of  the  Canadians 
from  His  Majesty  and  the  (lovernnient  and  other  traitorous 
purposes  —  I  he^  k»ave  to  refer  you  to  the  letter  to  M'  Dunn 
for  the  partiiudars  — 

I  have  lately  heard  that  (-azeaux  will  not  return  to  Fi-anee 
this  Winter  but  remain  in  (-anada  in  disj^uise — His  abilities 
areeipuil  to  hiseunninfi:,  and  as  he  speaks  Fjuj^lish  remarkably 
well  it  will  be  diffi(Mdt  to  diseovm-  him.  He  will  proliably  as- 
sume the  dress  of  a  Peasant.  It  is  of  the  utmost  eonsecjuenee 
li(!  should  be  a])prehended.  Tlu^  plan  must  be  well  laid  to  dis- 
e<»ver  him,  as  the  Canadians  will  naturally  ineline  to  conceal 
him  — 


TO  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  RARRADOES. 

Ntnv  York  28'"  Dect  1807 

I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  you  a  News  Paj)er  of  this  day, 
containinj^  an  Act  of  (/onjiifress  passed  the  22''  (Uirrent  layin}jf 
an  Fmbargo  on  all  Vessels  within  the  Ports  of  the  United 
States,  with  a  provisional  clause  in  favor  of  Poreij^n  merchant 
vessels,  and  another  in  favor  of  Foreij,ni  Ships  of  War. 

I  am  re(piested  by  M"^  Erskine  His  Majesty's  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary to  these  States,  to  inform  you  that  th(5  American 
(fovernment  have  declared  that  the  Embarjro  is  not  intended 
as  a  measure  of  Plostility  aj^ainst  (Jreat  Britain,  but  only  of 
Precaution  against  the  Risk  of  Captui'e  by  the  Belligerents 
Powers   in  the  present  extraordinary  Statt;  of  things.^ 


Ill 


OF 


1807 


ig  the 
[French 

will  be 

|2ft8. 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL  RERKELEY. 

New  York  20'"  December  1807. 

Sir. 

1   have  the   Honor  to  inclose  to  3'ou  the  act  of  i'ongress 
passed  a  few  days  since  laying  an  Eml)argo,  and  to  inform 

1  Similar  letters  were  sent  to  the  Governors  of  Jaiuuiua,  the  Bahamas, 
Bermuda,  aud  Nova  Scotia. 


i 


V'     '1 


I 


•      ! 


272 


IIOKUESPONDENCK  OF  TUUMAS   BAllCLAY 


you  that  tlu!  act  of  conj^ress  prohibiting  tlio  iini)ortation  of 
tli(!  jjfrcator  part  of  the  nuirchaiulize  usually  imported  from  His 
Majcstys  Unitinl  Kijigdom,  went  into  operation  on  the  14"'  In- 
stant—  It  is  eertaiu  that  these  measures  have  been  adopted  in 
cons<M[uence  of  the  present  unpleasant  position  of  affairs  be- 
tween (Ireat  Hritain  and  America ;  Imt  I  suspect  the  Enibarjro 
has  taken  place  rather  from  the  present  ndfitive  situation  of 
France  and  America.  By  the  National  Schooner  Ueveuf^'e 
dispatches  were  received  from  the  American  Ministei*  at  Paris, 
the  precise  purport  of  which  has  not  yet  transpired,  but  it  is 
stated  that  Bonaparte  has  declared  there  shall  be  no  neutrals, 
and  that  these  States  must  take  part  with  H.  Britain  or  France 
—  (Vuigress  have  sat  since  the  19"'  Instant,  the  day  the  Presi- 
dent sent  them  a  communication  on  the  subject  of  the  resolution 
of  Bonaparte,  with  closed  doors.  The  Embargo  was  the  result 
of  their  deliberation,  during  which  letters  from  Washington 
state,  the  disputes  with  G  Britain  was  never  mentioned  — 
The  presumption  is  therefore  that  the  Embargo  was  ordered 
to  prevent  Am"  Ships  going  to  France  —  A  letter  however 
from  a  sensible,  respectable  membcir  in  (V)ngress,  opposed  to 
French  measures,^  dated  the  19"'  of  December,  says  that  not- 
withstanding matters  can  be  amicably  adjusted  between  G 
Britain  and  America,  he  fears  through  freiuih  influence  a  War 
between  them  will  take  place,  to  avoid  a  War  with  France  — 
M"^  Rose  has  not  yet  arrived,  and  I  begin  to  fear  some  accident 
has  occurred  to  the  Statira.^ 


i    .'I 


TO   Sm  liOBERT   LAURIE. 

New  York  Dec'  'iO'"  1807. 
Sir. 

His  Majesty's  Schooner  C'liubb  under  the  comirumd  of  Lieut : 
Crooke  arrived  last  night  at  the  ([uari-antine  ground  about 
nine  miles  from  this  City,  and  Lieut  Crooke  came  up  in  the 

1  Barent  Gardeiiier  (?). 

i^Goorgo  Henry  liosc,  tho  special  envoy  seut  over  to  treat  of  the  Chesapoako 

affair,  arrived  at  Norfolk  the  same  day  this  letter  was  written. 


k:  V,i\ 


CoN.SUL-liKNKKAL,    IS07-IM1J 


Pilot  boat  tlic  C(»ll«H',tor  liowrver  hearing  of  liis  Laiuliiip:  im- 
iiKMliatcly  ordered  tin;  i'ilot  to  take  liijii  aj^aiti  on  hoard  tlu) 
('hul)l),  as  his  landing  was  in  tlin  faco  of  tlu!  [u-osidonts  ])i*o(;la- 
iiiaiion,  so  tliat  I  liavc  not  swin  M'  (/n)oko. 

TIk^  (Joll(!(!tor  liowev(!r  ininuuliati'ly  sent  mv  yonr  and  (lov- 
vcrnor  IlodtJjsoiis  disitatc^lics,  witli  a  [tolitc^  nifssas^t^  tliata  l»(»at 
was  always  ready  from  the  (customs  foi-  nie  t'^  <;oniiniuii(;at(3 
with  the  Coininandcr  of  the  Clmbb.  I  shai!  -el  the  dis- 
[)atchus  on  board  t\w.  (Miubl>  at  hij^h  water  toni<;r ow  and  i  - 
(jnost  Lieut  Crooko  to  sail  the  first  wind,  at  present  the  wind 
is  at  S.  E.  and  every  ai)i)earanee  of  a  gale. 


TO   Mil.   EliSKINE. 


1807. 

Lieut : 

about 

I)  in  tlie 

[esapeako 
ken- 


New  York  ;{"  Feb''  180S. 
Silt. 

By  yesterday's  mail  I  had  the  Honor  to  receive  your  letter 
of  the  28"'  of  .January  oov«;riiig  a  Statement  respeeting  circuni- 
stanees  which  have  occurred  on  board  llis  Majestys  Ship  Sta- 
tira  near  Norfolk  and  wliic^h  has  been  nuu  h  misi-epresented  in 
the  Aniei'iean  News  Papers. — This  statement  will  be  [inldislied 
in  the  Evening  l*ost  this  day,  and  in  the  New  York  Gazette 
tomorrow,  with  a  few  remarks.' 

'  Tho  Norfolk  Honilil  of  Jiunmry  The  iuiswiT  i)u])lislic(l  l)y  the  Ncw- 

I'JIh   stateil  tliiit   a  bout   Iiad  f^oiic  York  i)!ii)('rs  stated  tliat  wlum  the 

aloiigsido    tli(^   Statira   with   provi-  l)oat.  oamo  ah)iif;si(lo  a  soaTiiaii  was 

.sioiis;  that  tlicy  wor'.i  "saluted  witli  bpiiifj  Hof^^^i'd  "for   haviiit?  falsely 

tho  t^oaiis  of  prisoners  who  appeared  accused  his  oflicurs";    that  he  did 

tobosiilTeriii)^  tlic  most  oxerueiatiii^  claim  to  be  an  American,  but  had 

torture";    tliat   the   passengers    on  ^iven  no  proof  of  it;    that  he  had 

the  boat  wished  to  proceed,  but  wore  volunteered  at  Portsmoutii  in  Eiijjf- 

"  treated  in  the  most  brutal  manner";  land  and  received   tho    bounty   as 

that  "tho  groans  were  those  of  an  such;    tiuit  during  the  punisiiiuent 

American  citizen  writiiing  under  the  the  boat  was  requested  to  keep  off 

lasliof  a  petty  tyrant,  and  their  crime  a  few  minutes;  that  a  "verbal  al- 

having  declared  they  wore  American  tercation"  ensued;    but    that    the 

citizens  and  having  sent  letters  on  boat's  crew  carried  their  point,  al- 

shore  by  tho  jiilot."    The  Baltimore  though  tiiey  "  wished  some  incouve- 

Whig    republished  tiiis  under    the  nience  to  tho  Frigate. "| 

heading,  "  Peace  is  now  Disgrace." 
in 


\ 


i: 


i; 


(  ■ ! 


274 


('OUUWSPONDKNOK   <  H"   TllnMAS    MAKCIiAY 


! 


n 


i 


i   I 


TO   C'APT.    lUtOMLEY,  H.  M.  K.  STATIliA. 

Nuw  York  15  F.-ly  ISOH. 
SiH  : 

I  Mtii  (liis  (lay  honored  with  your  letter  of  the  1"'  (hirrt-nt  on 
tlu;  Siil»j(!('t  of  British  Sejuncn  who  may  Jipjtly  to  nic,  for  pas- 
su4;;('.s  to  thcii-  native  country  in  (•on.s(!(juenee  of  His  Majestys 
late  Proclamation  or  otherwise,  with  your  nnjuest  that  I  w<»ul(l 
forward  such  Seamen  to  His  Majestys  Ship  Statira  under  your 
coinmand,  where  you  will  re(!eive  them  for  His  Majestys  ser- 
vice for  a  passaj^e  to  l']nj;land  on  the  return  of  the  Statira  with 
the  British  Mission  — 

Since  the  passing  of  thi!  Act  of  (-ongress  in  December  last 
laying  an  embargo  on  American  Vessels,  British  Seamen  to 
tlui  number  of  about  forty  have  applied  for  passages  to  Great 
Britain  (U*  other  i)arts  of  His  Majestys  dominions,  some  of 
whom  have  been  sent  in  Packets  to  Falmouth,  othei's  to  Hali- 
fax in  Nova  Scotia,  and  two  to  Rear  Admiral  Sir  Alx'  C-ocli- 
rane  at  Barhadoes.  I  have  also  made  it  known  at  all  the 
houses  where  British  Sciiimen  resort,  that  1  was  ready  to  fur- 
nish them  with  passages  to  His  Majestys  l^ominions  on  their 
api)lication ;  I  am  sorry  to  add  that  no  others  have  availed 
themselves  of  His  Majestys  Proclamation. 

If  any  British  Seamen  hen^after  apply,  and  aconveyanceoifers 
fc  the  CJhesapeak,  I  shall  assuredly  send  them  to  yon ;  but  if 
there  should  be  no  such  conveyance,  and  a  vessel  n^ady  for  Hali- 
fax, I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  send  them  thither. — Had  the  Sta- 
tira arrived  here;  instead  of  the  Chesapeak,  I  have  no  doubt,  two 
or  three  hnndred  able  British  Seamen  would  have  entered  on 
board  ht^r  for  His  Majestys  Service,  and  even  at  this  late  day, 
was  your  station  removed  to  this  City,  I  feel  confident,  provided 
the  embargo  continues,  you  would  more  than  complete  your 
complement. 


m 


CONSlJL-OKNERAIi,    ISO  7-1H12 


275 


TO   GENEllAL   Sill   JAMES   CUAIG. 


he  Sta- 
ibt,  two 
n-ed  on 
ate  day, 
)vided 
pte  your 


Sir. 


New  York  4'-  April   1808. 


I  liMvo  received  your  letters  of  tiie  H"'  and  12"'  of  Mareli  tlie 
former  per  Post,  tlu^  latter  by  John  Wyatt  on  his  return  to 
this  City.  I  have  also  re<',eived  from  M'  M'Ken/ie  of  the 
Northwest  (-ompany  one  hundred  (h)llars  advaiu^ed  to  defray 
Porteous'  expenses  in  poinj--  to  you ;  and  a  draft  from  M' 
Richardson  on  Mess"  M'  Vieker  and  ( ■<> ;  which  was  i»aid,  for  tlie 
hundred  dollars  <,nven  to  Wyatt  on  ac(!ount  of  his  expenses 
in  ^'oinj;^  with  dis]>atclies  fin*  yon. —  I  am  hapi)y  to  learn  you 
are  jjossessed  of  sufficient  information  to  counteract  tlie  I )esijyjns 
of  tho.se  Persons  respectinjj^  wli<»m  I  liave  jjiven  you  notice. 

IVP  Hose  His  Majestys  Spi'cial  Envoy  to  these  States,  sailed 
in  th(!  Statira  Frijj^ate  on  the  27"'  ulto.  from  Hampton  Koads 
for  Enji^land  his  mission  to  th(^se  States  having  failed  of  its 
friendly  objec^t.  Within  the  hist  Fortnight  however  a  great 
change  it  is  said  lias  taken  ])lace  in  tlie  disposition  of  Congress 
and  the  American  (Sovernmeiit,  and  that  thei-i;  is  everv  rea.son 
to  l)eliev(^  we  .shall  continue  on  Terms  of  Amity.  Fii  [)roof 
of  this,  the  President  has  stated  in  conversati<m  that  the 
disjiatches  latc^ly  receiv(!d  from  M'  Pinekney  the  American 
Minister  in  London  were  exi)ressive  of  the  most  coiieiliatory 
disposition  on  the  part  of  His  Majesty;  and  the  Presidents 
laying  before  Congress  the  official  documents  received  from 
France,  so  long  with  held  and  wrai)ped  in  soc^reciy.  —  The 
present  state  of  sus})ense  cannot  long  (rontinue;  nor  will  the 
Americans  remain  much  longer  silent  under  the  inconvcuiience 
and  ruinous  cimsequences  of  the  Embargo. 


TO    MR.   EKSKINE. 

New  York  !)'"  April  1808. 
Sir: 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  to  you  a  copy  of  my  letter  to 
CommodiU'e  llodgers  Commanding  the  American  Ships  of 
War  in   this  Port,  re(piesting  him    to   discharge   from    the 


lil 


I 


tl'tl 


■ 


I 


I  ill 
r|  j 


27G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  TUOMAS  BARCLAY 


Aincrioiui  Sliip  of  War  Wasp  a  subject  of  His  Majcstys 
named  Jatnes  (irrady.  Also  (-onimodore  Rodjifiirs  unsvvci-  to 
ino,  wlicu'ein  lu'  roeomiiiends  my  ai)i)lyiii»>;  to  tlie  Secretary  (►f 
the  Anierieaii  Navy  on  the  subject;  and  impliedly  (H)ntradi<'ts 
my  assertion  tliat  (Jrady  is  a  Sii1)ject  of  His  Majesty. 

(irady  av(!i's  that  he  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  was  a  (lard- 
ner  several  years  with  Lady  (^onnoUy,  dauj^^hter  of  the  late 
Duke  of  Iii(!hmond.  In  addition  to  vvhicli  the  Irish  dialect  is 
so  broad  on  his  Tongue,  that  every  person  who  hears  liim 
speak,  would  at  once  proiu)unc<!  liim  an  Irishman.  —  I  am 
thei-efore  positive  that  I  was  correct  in  saying  he  was  a  sub- 
ject of  His  Majesty  ;  nor  can  I  inmgine  Commodore  I-fodgcrs 
can  have  any  (irround  for  denying  it,  unless  he  sets  U])  the 
plea  of  Grady  bfing  a  Citizen  of  these  States  or  having  taken 
the  Oath  of  allegiance.  Grady  assures  me  he  has  not  been 
made  a  citizen  or  taken  the  Oath  of  allegiance.  He  is  anxious 
for  his  dischai'go  and  desirous  to  «^nter  into  His  Majestys  Ser- 
vice. T  hope  you  will  feci  yourself  ni  Liberty  t<>  niak)*  an  ap- 
jdication  foi-  him. —  It  is  tinu^  to  ascertain  whether  the  Am" 
(iovern>n(!nt  intend  retaining  in  Umv  Service  British  Subjects. 


Sir. 


TO   OENERAL   HIST.Or,   GOVERNOR   OF  TRINIDAD. 

New  Yoi-k  f)""  May  1808. 


I  am  this  moment  honored  with  your  Excel^""  letter  o,'  the 
29"'  of  March  covei'ing  your  Proclamation  respecting  the  loss 
of  a  gn^at  numl)er  of  Houses  and  other  Huildinj.  s  at  the  Port 
of  Spain,  the  distress  of  the  Inhabitants,  and  inviting  all 
friendly  neutrals  to  ex])ort  to  that  place  Provisions  and  Lum- 
})er  iiiid  that  they  shall  )»e  permitted  to  cany  away  in  return 
Sugar,  Hum,  Molasses,  Cocoa  and  Coffee. — 

I  most  sincerely  participate  with  you  and  the  Sufferers  in 
the  l(»sses  they  have  sustained  and  the  inconveniences  they 
nuist  exptsrience ;  and  it  adds  much  to  my  mortification  that 
I  cannot  officially  make  public  your  j)roclamation,  in  conse- 
quence of  tlie  continiuince  of  the  Embargo  Law —  I  will  how- 
ever if  possible  get  it  a  place  in  some  of  the  News  Papers  ed- 


»^ 


CONSUL-UKNKltAI^    1H()7-IH12 


277 


!•    to 
yof 

lu'ts 

iaril- 

liite 
M't  is 

him 
1  am 

a<j:crs 

|)  the 

,  been 
axioiis 
>rs  Sor- 
aii  ap- 
le  Am" 
il),ioets. 


1808. 

•  o'  the 
Itlu'  lo-'- 
llic  Port 
Itin^  all 
id  bum- 

II  return 

Jferers  in 
lees  they 
lion  that 

III  conse- 
n\\  how- 

[vpers  ed- 


ited in  this  (!ity.—  M"^  I']rskiiie  His  Mujestys  Minister  at  VVash- 
inj^ton  I  fear  will  not  succeed  in  ()l)tainiii^  any  indnljjjeiieo 
from  th(^  Am"  (lovei-nmcnt,  for  two  reas(»ns,  lirst  J»eeanse  I 
siisi)eet  tlioy  are  not  in(!lin(Ml  to  j^raiit  them  t()  His  Majestys 
Siiltjeets,  and  se(M)ndly  if  tliey  do,  they  eannot  refuse  similar 
applications  from  the  French  and  Spanish  (lovernmcnts.  At 
this  moment  there  an;  two  oftieers  at  Washinj^tcm  (l('|>uted  hy 
the  (T(>veruor  of  tlie  City  of  IS'  Domingo  recpicstini?  i>ermission 
to  export  flour  from  these  States  to  that  place;  to  ])revent  tin; 
Inhabitants  from  perishint!;. —  There  is  at  prcisent  not  the  least 
probability  of  the  Endjargo  being  taken  off. 


TO   IlEAR-ADMIRAL   COCHRANE. 


Sir. 


Now  York  2''  May  1808 


A  freneh  bnilt  Ship  formerly  sailing  out  of  this  I'oi't  under 
an  American  Sea  letter  under  the  name  of  the  Eliza,  has  dur- 
ing this  Winter  been  cut  down  in  Fran(!e  and  everyway  fitted 
for  a  Privateer,  she  arrived  here  some  weeks  since  with  a  Cargo 
of  Brandy  and  has  cleared  out  for  the  Isle  of  France  uiuhu"  the 
name  of  the  Constant,  Vauvage  Master.  This  is  not  the  fact. 
Vauvage  is  the  owner  of  this  Sliip  and  on  board  of  lier  :  but  an 
American  of  the  name  of  Waterman  is  the  real  ('ai)tain.  She 
is  not  bouml  for  the  Isle  of  France  but  the  West  Indies,  or 
that  part  of  the  Continent  which  comprehends  Surina?n,  Dera- 
arara  and  Berbice.  She  has  three  or  four  (inns  mounted,  ))ut 
the  remfiinder  to  ccpiip  her  to  18  Guns  are  in  her  hold,  the 
weight  or  length  of  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 
She  sails  uncommoidy  fast,  and  will  probably  make  many 
(■aptures  uidess  taken. —  Waterman  and  such  others  of  her 
Crew  as  are  Americans  will  merit  particular  care  and  treat- 
ment being  found  on  board  an  Enemy's  Ship  of  War. —  She 
may  assume  the  name  of  the  Eliza,  Waterman  Master  and 
show  an  American  Sea  letter;  or  that  of  the  Constant,  Vau- 
vage Master  with  some  other  Custom  House  document  —  It 
will  be  proper  for  you  to  forward  this  to  the  Commander  in 
Chief  of  the  Jamaica  Station. 


'  I 


;i 


II 


.  1 


18* 


I'l 


278 


i      I 


4 


11 

' 

pi  ■ 

!          \ 

ll 

I'' 

Jl ,-. 

IM 

i 

( 


(!()IUtKSI'()NI»i;N«'K   Ol'  THOMAS    IIAliCliAY 


TO   ADMIRAL   SIK  JOHN   DOllLASli   WAUUKN.' 


SlU. 


Now  York  I!)'"  .July  1H08 


The  (lay  beforo  y<'Htonliiy  it  wjis  uiiiiouiKied  in  tlif  Nows 
Papers  of  this  City  and  nu'iitioiicd  in  piivato  letters  that  a 
French  National  iirijj:  of  'J()(}iiiis  had  ari-ived  in  the  Chcst!- 
peak  t'foni  Hi-est  with  dispatches  From  the  FiH'iieh  (iovern- 
inent.  By  letters  reiH'ived  from  tialtinioi'e  &  Alexiindria  l>y 
this  days  nniil  it  ai)pears  that  a  Frem  'i  Nati(»nal  iii-ij?  of  20 
Guns  and  150  men  had  arrived  in  the  Chesiipeak  (not  'rom 
Brest  but)  from  (fuadoloupe.  It  is  <xenta'ally  sui)posed  li  ob- 
ject is  to  obtain  i)rovisioiis. — 

I  am  awart^  that  imdei"  present  eireiimstanecs  it  is  not  His 
Majestys  Wish  that  the  S(piadroii  nnder /(mr  .'oinmand  should 
j^ivo  even  a  shadow  of  offeiu;o  to  this  ({overnnuMit ;  still  with 
submission  to  your  better  J udjxnient,  I  should  suppose  some 
of  the  Frigates  and  Sloo|)s  under  your  (jommand  mij^ht  be  off 
!uul  on  these  Ports,  and  occasionally  ca,i»ture  l*]iieinies  Ships. 
The  FnMich  are  apprised  that  British  Ships  of  War  seldom 
cruise  off  the  Am"  Ports  and  avail  themselves  of  their  ab- 
sence.—  I  have  advised  Sir  Alexandt^r  Cochrane  of  the  Brit^ 
l)einir  here  and  that  she  will  [)rol)ably  I'eturn  in  a  month  or  six 
Weeks  to  (}uadeh)upe  or  Martinico.  Should  aconv(\yance  of- 
fer for  Barbadoes  or  contiiijuous  from  Halifax  pennit  me  to 
recommend  your  repeating-  the  information. 


TO    Mil.   EllSKINE. 

New  York  1"  Aufrust  1808 
Sir, 

I  am  at  this  moment  honored  with  your  letter  of  the  29"'  of 
July  recjuestinf^f  me  as  His  Majestys  Com'  under  the  5"'  Arti- 
cle of  the  Treaty  of  Amity  Commerce  and  Navigation  between 

1  Nophow   of    Sir  Peter  Warren,    matist,  haviiijj:  been  British  Atnbas- 
Horn  in  1754,  died  1822.     Sir  John    sador  to  Russia  in  1802. 
was  not  only  a  sailor,  but  a  diplo- 


-W1 


S08 

luit  a 
Un'Ht'.- 

(Vl'l'U- 

•ia  by 

of  20 

'rom 

I  ol)- 

ot  His 
sli<>ul«l 

II  with 
ic  sotno 
t,  be  off 
^  Siiips. 

seldom 
licir  ab- 
ho  Bvii.' 
til  <»v  i^i^ 

iUiee  of- 
it  nie  to 


List  1808 

Le  29"'  of. 

5*''  Ai-ti- 

|i  between 

lish  Anibas- 


CONSUL-OENERAL,    1807-1812 


279 


His  M :  &  \]w  United  States  of  America  to  inform  yon  wiietlier 
Moose  Island  in  l*assaina(nioddy  Hay  is  within  His  Majestys 
Limits  or  those  of  the  United  States. 

For  th(!  nion;  ready  eomprehendinp  the  eonduet  of  tlie 
Com"  with  respeet  to  tlie  Ishmds  in  that  Hay  permit  me  to 
{?ive  you  two  extracts,  tlic^  first  from  tlie  second  Article  of  the 
(h^Hnitive  Treaty  of  Peace  Inrtween  His  Majesty  and  the  United 
States,  the  otlMU-  from  the  fifth  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Amity 
Commerce  and  Navi<;ation  above  mentioned. —  In  de.seribin<; 
th«*  boundaries  which  are  t(»  divide;  His  Majestys  (tln'ii)  Prov- 
ince of  Nova  Scotia  from  the  TTnited  States,  the  definitive 
Treaty  declares  —  "  P^ast  by  a  Line  tw  be  drawn  alonji^  the  mid- 
<lle  of  tlu;  li'irfr  S'  Croix  from  its  wouth  in  the  lioij  of  Fuuthj 
to  its  soinur.'^  Tin;  sanui  Artich;  grants  all  Islands  within 
tw(;uty  Leagues  of  any  jvart  of  tlm  Shores  of  the  United  States 
and  lyinj^  betwecm  lines  to  be  drawn  due  Eastfnnn  the  Points 
where  the  aforesaid  Houndaries  between  Nova  Scotia  on  the 
cue  part,  and  East  Florida  on  the  other  shall  respectively 
touch  the;  Hay  of  Fundy  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  '*  txrcjifinf/ 
siuh  fshnids  tis  how  are,  or  heretofore  liare  Iteen  within  the 
Limits  of  the  mid  Proritiee  of  Nom  Seoti<(.''  The  treaty  of 
Amity  Commt;rce  and  Navi<^ation  directs  that  tlui  three  Voui- 
missi(»n(;rs  ap[)ointed  under  the  5'"  Article  of  that  Trt  \ty, 
"  shall  by  a  declaration  under  their  hands  and  Seals  decide 
what  Iliver  is  the  River  intended  l>y  the  "  ((hifinitive)"  Treaty." 
and  "that  tin;  said  dtidanit ion  shall  contain  a  description  of 
the  said  River,  and  shall  ]>articularize  the  Latitude;  and  Lou- 
f!,itiide  of  its  month  and  of  its  Sonrce" 

You  will  pei*(!eive  from  tht^se  extracts  that  the  C<»mmission- 
ers  under  the  definitive  Ti-caty  in  178:5  eontem])lated  and 
described  the  mouth  of  tlui  River  S'  Ci'oix  to  be  in  the  Hay  of 
Fuiidy  —  and  that  tlu;  5"'  Article  of  the  Tr<;aty  makes  numtion 
only  of  its  mouth,  without  refei-ence  to  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in- 
deed the  Bay  of  Fundy  is  not  mcnti(uied  in  the  Article. —  It 
was  the  wish  of  the  Commissioners  under  the  5"'  Arliide  of  the 
Treaty  of  Anuty  Connnerce  and  Navij^alion  to  have  if  ])ossi- 
ble  carried  the  mouth  of  the  River  S'  Croix  into  the  Hay  of 
Fundy;  but  on  a  fair  examination  of  the  River  S'  Croix  we 


If 


i;i;( 


:?;  Ml 


280 


COURRSPONDKNOR  OP  THOMAS    BARC^LAY 


I    ■' 


''  M 


were  of  opinion  tliat  the  month  of  tlu*  River  S'  Croix  was  at.  a 
place  called  J»)e's  Point  nearly  opposite;  to  the  Town  of  S'  An- 
(In^ws  in  the  Westernmost  Part  (►f  the  Hay  of  Passamaqiioddy, 
and  left  the  Houndarv  from  tlienet;  to  the  Hay  of  Fnndy  to  )»c 
arrani^ed  by  His  Majesty  and  the  United  States  of  Amerien,  at 
some  futnre  Pei'iod.  Thi;  Commissioners  however  ap'e«!d  that 
thoy  would  i-ceommend  to  their  respecrtive  (Jovernments  that 
the  ('entn^  of  the  Main  (channel  which  l(!a<ls  from  Joe's  Point 
into  the  Hay  of  Fnndy  sliouid  be  the  dividinj^-  Line.  This  liine 
has  never  been  coniirmcd,  if  it  had  Moose  Island  would  have; 
been  on  the  Au?eriean  Sid(;  of  it,  but  this  would  not  have  af- 
fected His  Majestys  lliglit  to  that  Island,  bcicause  by  th<;  excep- 
tion in  the  second  Article  of  the  dcifinitive  Treaty  such  Islands 
as  then  were  or  theretofore  had  l)een  within  tin;  limits  of  the 
Province;  of  Nova  Scotia  won^  not  to  ap^xTtaiu  to  the  llnitcd 
States. —  M'  Chipman  His  Majestys  A<^ent  was  prci)ai'ed  to 
show  -  n  the  part  of  His  Majesty  that  Moose  Island  then  was 
and  had  been  within  the  Limits  of  the  Provinc^e  of  Nova  S(!o- 
tia;  but  the  Commissioners  ri^fused  to  hear  him,  having?  net 
power  or  direction  to  decide  with  respect  to  those  Islands. — 
M' ('hipman  is  His  Majestys  Solicitor  (}en<'ral  at  S'  John  in 
the  Province  of  New  Hrunsvvick,  and  will  n^adily  furnish  the 
Admiral  and  (reneral  with  (iopies  of  the  doeunu'nis  he  had  pre- 
pared to  lay  before  the  Com"  had  tlu^y  conceived  tluMnselves 
authorized  to  receive  them  — 

As  it  may  at  a  future  day  be  urj^inl  on  the  pai-t  of  the  United 
States  of  America  that  His  Majesty  in  the  year  1802  or  18();{ 
had  agreed  to  yield  Moose  Island  to  these  States,  pei-mit  me  to 
add,  what  I  by  no  means  hold  to  be  material,  but  to  avoid  a 
charge  of  suppression.  Tha*^  when  I  was  in  London  in  1802 
and  18015,  Loi'd  Hawkesbury  then  Secri^tary  of  State  for  for- 
eign affairs  infornuul  me  that  M'  King  the  American  Minister 
in  London,  had  in  conversing  on  the  Subjiujt  of  the  Islands  in 
the  Hay  of  Fundy  and  on  the  escablishing  a  boundary  Line 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Uiver  S'  Croix  (Joes  Point)  to  the  Hay 
of  Fundy,  nu'utioned  that  several  of  those  Islands  nppen'tained 
to  th((  United  Stattis  of  AuKM'ica. —  In  reply  I  told  his  Lordship 
I  considered  the  reverse  the  fact  and  thatevciry  Island  in  Pas- 


■-.»i'«wi^. 


^^^'i 


CONSUL-OKNERAL,   1807-1812 


281 


at.  a 
An- 

(lay, 

()  be 
cii  at 
I  ill  at 

that 
Point 
<  \aw 

have 
lVc  af- 
t'xcep- 
slaiuls 
of  the 
nnit»'«l 

LVCll    to 

en  was 
va  Siio- 

amis. — 
lohn  ill 
lish  tli« 
liad  pi'e- 
insolves 

..  ITnitcd 
or  180;i 
liit  me  to 
I)  avoid  a 
in  1S02 

[,  for  foi'- 
M  ii  lister 

Islands  in 
ary  \A\w 
tiie  Bay 
>(>rtaino(l 
Lordsliip 
.d  in  Tas- 


saTna(jnod(ly  Hay  had  a[»poi'<aiiUMl  to  tlie  Province  of  Nova 
Scotia;  I  how«'ver  added  tliat  if  a  full  and  eonipleat  settle- 
ment of  Boundaries  took  place  VxitvvtMMi  His  Majesty  and  tin; 
United  States  of  Aineri(\a,  whi<^li  was  then  under  his  Lord- 
ships and  M'  Kini>;s  consideration,  that  it  was  my  opinion 
Moose  Island  should  be  granted  ex  {gratis  by  His  Majesty  to 
the  United  States  of  Anun'ica,  as  th(\v  had  posst^ss'-d  it  since 
17H;J  and  used  it  as  a  Port  of  Kntry. —  His  Ijordship  directed 
me  to  confer  with  M'  Kinj^  on  the  Subject.  M'  Kin^-  and  my- 
self met  twice  or  three  times,  and  he  linally  aii^reed  to  ac^ci^pt 
Mooso  Island  in  full  of  all  claims  for  Islands  in  the  liay  of 
l*assama(pioddy,  as  an  evt^ntual  arran<j^cment  of  the  Boun- 
dary Lines' —  Soon  after  this  I  und(>rstood  M'  Kin^  receivcul 
instructions  from  his  (}ovtM'nm(Uit  not  to  ])roc(>ed  any  further 
in  tht^  pro})osed  ('ommission  for  rnnnin<;'  the  remainder  of  the 
unascertained  Lines  between  His  Majesty  and  these  States. — 


TO   ADMIllAL   SIR  JOHN   BOllLASE   WAUREN. 

New  York  .T  Sept.'  180S. 
Sir. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  acknowlcdji^e  the  receipt  of  your  three 
siivcral  hitters  to  me  of  the  2S"'  of  .Inly. —  I  rej^rct  tha.t  IIk^  live 
Seanuiii  I  stint  to  the  ollicci*  (loiiimandiiii^;  His  Majestys  Ships 
of  War  at  Passamaipioddy,  havti  not  been  delivered.  At  the 
time  I  put  them  on  board  there  was  no  conveyanc«i  for  Hali- 
fax. Thti  nijtstei's  of  Miirchant  V(!ssels  cannot  be  confided  in: 
and  the  C'a.i»tains  of  Pack(its,  in  c.onsc(iuen(i(i  of  the  number  of 
Pass(!nj;ers  they  cjirry  to  Falmouth,  sin<U!  tlui  l<]mbar<>-o,  are 
averse  to  be  troubled  with  Seamen,  intended  foi*  the  Navy. — 
Captain  Davis  of  the  Manchester  <mi  his  arrival  told  me  he 
would  take  ui'ty  S(iamen  for  you,  if  I  had  them;  prior  how- 
ever to  his  departure  he  complained  of  his  Ship  beiutj  mu(ih 
crowded  and  eventually  niceivtsd  very  few. —  The  next  (tlni 
October  Pack(it)  will  lui  thti  last  which  tomiiuis  at  Halifax 
from  hence  until  March  next,  after  her  there  will  l>e  no  con- 

1  See  ante,  piige  14(>. 


r 


'<.■■■  J  I 
t 


282 


CORRESPONDENCR  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


veyanoo  for  Seamen.  Perhaps  it  would  not  be  amiss  for  you 
to  send  a  small  armed  vessel  oeeasionally  between  the  middle 
of  Oe,tol)er  and  Mar(;h  to  take  sneh  men  as  may  wish  to  return 
to  His  Majestys  Dominiojis.  The  ostensible  reason  for  the  ar- 
rival of  an  armed  Shij»  frojn  you.  must  be  dis])atehes,  and  the 
Officer  Commandinj^  on  his  arrival  at  Sandy  Hook  or  Staten 
Island  is  directed  by  Law  to  rejun't  his  arrival  and  the  eause 
(towit  that  he  is  eharji^ed  with  dispatehes)  to  the  (V)lieetor  of 
the  Customs,  who  will  then  if  reciuested  grant  liim  Pro- 
visions, &e. 


(     ■ 


In' 


TO    ADMIllAL   Sill   JOHN    BOHLASE   WAllKEN. 

New  York  :{''  S.-pt'  1808. 

{Private.) 
Dear  Sir: 

The  incidents  which  have  occuri'cd  in  Europe,  and  in  the 
Spanish  C'olonies  in  North  and  South  America,  are  events  of 
such  general  importance  and  so  p«!culiarly  fort  unate  for  (rreat 
Britain  that  I  cannot  refrain  offering  you  my  sinciere  congrat- 
ulations.—  I  cannot  say  1  am  very  sanguine  in  my  exiicctatiims 
of  th(>  (^onstiijuences  of  the  I'cvnlutions  in  Spain  and  Portugal, 
unless  they  arc  supported  by  what  we  have  had  hints  to  ex- 
\w{'t,  a  revolution  in  Italy,  and  a  (cooperation  of  the  Northern 
Powers.  Should  these  take  phuce,  and  unanimity,  decision 
and  energy  actuate  thc^  allies,  tlm  Tyrant  must  fall. —  At  all 
events  if  the  Spaniards  and  Portugese  act  with  pi'udenc*^  and 
protnptuess,  and  carry  <m  merely  a  defensive  and  desultory 
war,  avoiding  at  least  for  two  years  any  thing  like  a  general 
action,  there  is  work  cut  out  to  oc(Mipy  Boiuiparte  the  remain- 
der of  his  Life  —  Wliere  ever  the  Fi-ench  main  l^ody  appeal's 
only  Women  children  and  old  men  should  be  found.  The 
elite  of  the  Si)anish  and  Poi'tugese  Troojts,  of  which  the 
greater  part  ought  to  be  cavalry,  should  hang  on  the  rear  and 
flanks  of  the  Enemy,  o])pose  them  in  front  at  (^very  strong 
pass,  harass  them  night  and  day  by  i)artial  and  occasionally 


CONSUL-GKNEllAli,    !M07-1812 


283 


1 


more  extonsivo  utUicks,  aud  out  up  nil  their  forapiij?  piirlics 
and  esc(»rts.  Su(di  a  mode  would  make  Soldiers  of  them,  while 
it  rendered  the  French  discontented  from  constant  duty  and 
scanty  supplies.  You  will  j»erhaps  smile  and  remark  that  it  is 
easier  to  i)reseribe  the  mode,  than  to  carry  it  into  effect.  1 
jl'rant  it,  l)ut  be«^  leave  to  add  that  Troops  in  their  own  coun- 
try, havinjj;  every  man  their  Friend  have  incredil)le  adva)ita^es 
over  an  Enemy  who  is  ijj^norant  of  the  country,  and  of  local 
information. —  The  immediate  e.onse(juenoe.'-  of  these  revolu- 
tions jire  siiiHular  foi-ttmate  to  (xi-eat  Britain  durinj^  the  oper- 
ation of  the  Anu-rican  non  importation  and  embargo  Laws. 
The  Spanish  (^>loni('S  in  the  West  Indies  and  on  tlu;  ('ontinent 
of  Amei'ica  will  now  take  from  our  nuinufacturers  all  that 
their  Industry  can  sui)ply ;  and  I  am  at  times  in  doubt  whether 
a.  c(tntinuan(!e  of  the  Ameriiriui  Fmbargo  will  not  ojierate  bene- 
licially  to  Britain.  —  Whether  the  occurrences  in  Furope  have 
had  any  effect  on  M'  Jefferson  and  his  Ministers  inis  not  yet 
transpired.  1  have  no  hesitation  to  say,  but  for  these  events, 
they  would  have  gone  to  War  with  us,  and  united  themselves 
more  closely  with  France.  —  For  this  purpose;  they  have  pur- 
sued ev<'ry  measure  which  could  give  offence  to  His  Majesty 
and  Ilis  Mini.  n  in  tln^  hopes  of  inducing  them  to  some  act 
wh'ch  would  be  geneially  offensive  to  the  Americans  and  give 
colour  to  a  War.  — A  large  proportion  of  tin?  Americans  per- 
haps a  irnijor  part  are  averse  to  War  with  Britain.  If  there- 
fore Bi'itain  could  have  been  so  goaded  as  to  commit  the  first 
aggression,  the  American  (lovernment  believed  numy  if  not 
most  of  those  wlio  were  opposed  to  a  War,  woidd  become  ad- 
vocates for  it. —  It  was  uiuler  this  conviction  that  I  some  time 
since  took  the  Liberty  to  give  yt)u  my  opinion,  with  respect  to 
Moose  Island  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  possessed  by  the  Ameri- 
<'ans,  Vmt  a})[)ertaining  to  His  Majesty ;  and  to  recommend  the 
avoiding  all  acts  of  violence  to  gain  tiie  possession,  indeed  not 
even  to  make  a  demand  at  present,  for  it.  —  My  reasons  were 
given  at  length  and  shall  not  now  be  repeated  —  Vermont 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  are  decudedly  favorable  to 
Britain  in  opimsition  to  France.  In  this  State  aud  in  Jersey 
and  Pennsylvania  they  are  nearly  divided,  and  in  c  nsequence 


iil 


1 


m 


TT^ 


284 


COltUESI'UNDKNt:!':   OF  TIKJMAS   BAIiCLAY 


•;  f 


'  f 


of  the  l<]inl)firi;<>  tho  fcnha-ul  purty  arc  daily  f^jainiii*;  .strenjiftli 
throughout  tho  Union.  —  Petitions  or  i-athcr  Memorials  ai'o 
sendinji:  i'roin  the  Eastern  and  Northern  States  to  the  Presi- 
d(!nt  for  a  repeal  of  the  Enibarjj^o,  and  should  it  not  he  raised 
in  November  or  Deeemher,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  vio- 
lenet!  was  opposed  to  Law.  Orders  have  l)een  issued  by  the 
President  for  l)uildin}^  two  larj^e  Armed  Hri^s  and  sonu;  <run 
l)oats  on  the  Lak(!s  ;  and  lar^e  depots  of  small  arms,  ordiiane,e 
and  military  Stores  have  l)i'(m  lately  established  as  I  am  in- 
fornuid  in  those  parts  of  this  State  whieh  are  oontij;uous  to 
Canada. — These  are  strongly  indicative  measures. —  Daily  ex- 
|)erien(',e  adds  moreover  to  past  eonvietion  that  admitting  we 
are  to  be  at  War  with  America  it  is  of  immense  moment,  we 
should  avoid  yivin^  the  American  Government  a  pretext  for 
it ;  because  should  they  wantonly  unite  with  France  af^ainst 
Hit,  Majesty,  we  will  have  three  of  the  most  i)ow(;rful  States 
with  respect  to  nu^n,  and  f^reat  numbers  also  in  the  other 
States,  our  Friends  so  as  to  impede,  if  not  frustrate  all  <»ITeii- 
sive  operations;  and  possildy  to  occasion  a  (;ivil  wjir  amon|? 
tluaiiselves.  The  jealousy  of  the  Eastern  &  Nortlu'rn  States 
of  the  influence  in  Council  and  preponderance  in  Congress  of 
Virfi'inia  is  great,  and  they  live  und(n*  them  with  an  impa- 
tiinice,  bordei'ing  on  a  determination  to  shak(!  them  off. 

You  will  i)erctnve  in  the  News  Papers,  that  the  French  offi- 
cial dispatches  to  the  (lovci'mn-s  of  the  Sj)anish  I'olonies  in 
America  of  the  resignation  of  the:  crown  of  Spain  in  favor  of 
Bonaparte,  were  forwarded  by  the  American  Consid  under 
cover  to  M'  Madison  Secretary  of  State.  They  have  happily 
been  intereei)ted  ;  l)ut  M'  Madison  owes  it  to  his  own  rc^puta- 
tion,  and  to  these  States  as  a  powin*  at  pres(Mit  in  Amity  with 
Britain  to  disavow  all  knowledgi;  of  the  act,  and  that  no  part 
of  his  (!ondu(;t  had  or  could  have  given  the  American  Consul 
in  Spain  reason  to  believe  he  would  hav(^  approved  of  receiv- 
ing such  dispatches  to  forward  —  The  day  I  hope  will  arrive 
when  Ilis  Majesty  may  notice  this  act  of  perfidy  with  ])ru- 
dence  and  demand  a  satisfactory  explanation  and  apology. 

The  period  I  trust  is  not  distant  wluni  avc  shall  be  on  more 
friendly  terms  with  America,  in  which  case  you  may  with  pro- 


!<»■>■   ■ 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1H07-1812 


285 


prioty  visit  tliis  plnco,  wliicli  you  will  lin<l  wondorfiilly  ex- 
tended and  improved,  most  of  the  luiids  wliieli  helonged  at 
(ireenwieh  to  the  Heirs  of  the  late  Sir  Peter  Warren  are  now 
included  in  this  (Mty.  —  Your  Cousin  Lady  Southampton  is 
also  a  first  Cousin  to  M"  Barclays;  who  was  a  Delancey,  niece 
to  and  named  after  the  late  Lady  Warren. *  —  I  think  La<ly 
Warren,  &  y(»urself,  would  be  pleased  hy  a  summer  c^Kcursion 
hither.     I  shall  only  add  w»'  should  be  most  happy  to  see  you. 


FllOM  .TUDdE   IJENSON. 

My  dkar  Sir, 

I  have  reHe(Med  on  what  passed  in  the  confidiMitial  Conver- 
sation between  Us  a  few  days  siiUMi;  and  am  perfectly  satisfied 
the  British  (iovernment  can  never  justify  taking'  Possession 
of  Moose  Lsland  on  the  i>[round  eitlun*  of  beffcr  Title,  as  it  re- 
fjards  lioKiuhirfi,  or  as  not  within  tlui  Boundary  of  any  of  the 
Grants  uiuler  which  the  Territory  then;  has  been  claimed  and 
so,  as  it  were,  luicaiit ;  for  in  the  latter  (-ase  the  American 
(lovtM'nnu'ut  would  be  intith'd  to  it  by  Iii<i;ht  of  prior  OccifixiHcy, 
the  Fact  I  presume  beinjj^,  that  from  the  Bej^'innin<,',  and  cer- 
tainly siiKte  the  Decision  by  the  (^onnnissioners  in  ITO.S,  actual 
Jurisdi(!tion  has  been  exercistsd  ov(!r  the  Island  as  ap[)ertain- 
mg  to  Massachusetts  — 

The  Treaty  of  ITS'},  and  th(!  subsecpuMit  (uie  of  1704,  both 
assume  it,  that  the  liiver  St.  Croix  was  the  Boundary  of  Massa- 
chus«^tts,and  as  su(;h  the  eastern  Boundary  of  tlu;  United  Statics, 
and  the  only  (Question  which  discovered  itself  after  the  first 
Treaty  was  which  is  the  true  River f  This  (.^uesticui  was  sub- 
niittiul  to  (V)mmissioners  who  between  tin*  [S(!hoodic|  claimed 
on  part  of  the  King  of  (1,  B.  and  |Maj;-a<;uadavic|  clainu^d  on 
the  part  of  the  U.  S.  decided  in  favor  of  the  former.  The 
Tr(>aties  also  suppose,  that  whichever  miufht  be;  tlm  true  River, 
it  emptied  immediately  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy  t*r  Sea  in  that 
Quarter,  whereas  both  the  Rivers  claimed  emi)ty  into  the  Bay 

1  Lady  SouMiampton  was  a  (lanf^litcr  of  Sir  Potor  Warroii,  whoso  wifo  was 
Susan  Do  Laiu'cy,  daiiKlitcr  of  llio  (irsi  Stcpluwi  Do  l^aiiccy. 


'i 


t    '  I 


!''■'  I 


't  r  *!| 


28G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


of  Passama(iuocl(ly,  u  Bay,  it'  it  may  bo  so  expressed,  of  the 
Bay  of  P^iiidy;  and  it  being  only  sul)initted  to  tlie  (Nmnnis- 
sioners  to  ascertain  tlie  trne  Kiv(!r,  and  with  it  it's  Head  or 
Source  and  it's  Month  or  Confluence  with  <)ther  waters,  und 
they  having  ascertanied  the  hitter  to  be  at  [Joe's  Point)  there 
would  seem  to  be  a  Defect  in  the  Boundary  of  MassiU'husetts 
as  to  the  Space  or  Distanc(^  between  the  Mouth  of  the  River 
and  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  tin;  Parties  being  indepciudt^nt 
Sovereignties  and  therefore  not  amenable  to  any  common  Tri- 
bunal the  Doubt,  or  Question  arising  from  it  was  nec^essarily 
left  as  the  Subject  of  further  Convention  —  I  sjicak  of  it  as  a 
seeminff  Defect  only  being  perswaded  the  Law  W(»ul(l  count vnc- 
tirelij  sup[)ly  it  by  declaring  the  Fihim  Aqmw  tlu'  middle  of 
the  Channel  of  the  nearest  Passage  fit  for  tin;  ordinary  Navi- 
gation between  the  M(mth  of  the  River  and  the  Bay  of  Fundy 
to  be  the  Boundary  —  The  Necessity  of  this  Construction  will 
be  more  obviously  discerned  if  we  suppose  the  IMagaguadavicl 
to  have  been  decided  to  be  the  River,  the  Mouth  of  it  being  just 
within  the  northern  Headland  of  the  Bay  of  PassamacpUKldy ; 
so  that  without  some  such  closhnj  Line  as  I  have  suggested 
this  most  incongruous  Consequence  would  follow,  that  the 
Nation,  having  the  main  Land  forming  the  shores  of  the  Bay 
of  Passamaquoddy  'n  f. early  tlu;  whole  of  its  Circumi'erence, 
would  still  be  without  a  Right  to  any  of  the  Islands  in  it,  or 
even  to  the  Use  of  it's  Waters  — 

You  may  communicate  this  Letter  as  you  nuiy  think  jn-ctper 
trusting  that  my  Motives  to  it  will  not  be  misconceived, 

Yours  sincerely 

EoB'  Benson. 

Oct'  26,  1S08. 

to   MB.   ERSKINE. 

New  Vork  28'"  Octoljer  1808. 


Sir. 


{Private.) 


The  late  confidential  communications  respecting  Moose  Is- 
liind,  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  transmit  to  me,  and  the 


■AMMMlfMVI^ 


CONSlJL-OKNKKAIi,    1807-18112 


287 


1S08. 


|)ose  Is- 
md  the 


refusal  of  tlic  Aiiicriciin  (JoviTirtu'iit,  to  dclivrr  tliiit  Island  U> 
llis  Majesty,  have  led  me  to  re(M)iisider  tlio  Suhject  and  I  feel 
it  my  duty  to  inform  you  of  tlie  result. 

I  fear  I  liave  luiretoforo  been  led  into  an  error  by  j^ivin^ 
the  Treaty  of  178;J  l>elween  His  Majesty  and  the  Unitcul  States 
of  Anu'i'iea  t()(»  eonflned  a.  eoiistruetion. —  On  mature  delibera- 
tion I  am  inelined  to  bi'lieve  it  was  the  intention  of  His  iMaj- 
esty  and  the  (Tovernment  of  the  United  States  of  America  in 
17S3  that  the  Eastern  Honndnry  of  the  then  Province  of  Mas- 
saelmsetts,  should  be  the  fiine  to  divide  His  Majestys  Colony 
of  Nova.  Scotia  from  (he  Tei*ritorv  he  was  about  to  (U'de  totlu^ 
United  States  of  America;  and  as  the  Itiver  S'  ('roix  had 
ori<;imilly  been  tlu!  Pjastern  Boundary  which  divided  Massa- 
chusetts from  Nova  Scotia  it  was  aji:recd  by  the  Treaty  that 
"a  liiK^  drawn  alonjj^  the  middle  of  the  River  S*  Croix  from  its 
mouth  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  its  Source,  and  from  its 
Source  directly  North  to  the  aforesaid  Hij^hlamls  vvhi(di 
divide  the  Rivers  that  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  from 
those  whiiih  fall  into  tlu^  River  S'  Lawrence "  should  be  the 
Kastcri  i  Bou  n  d  ary . — 

Then  follow  th<'  words  under  which  His  Majestys  present 
claim  to  Moosi!  Island  is  founded  towit '' (Himprehendiiii,'  all 
Islands  within  twenty  leaj^ues  of  the  Shores  of  the  United 
States,  and  lyinj;  Ix'twi^en  Lines  to  be  drawn  due  East  tVoin 
the  Points  where  the  aforesaid  Boundaries  between  Nova 
Scotia  on  tlu^  one  pai't  and  Kast  Florida  on  the  other  shall 
respectively  touch  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
exceptiui;  such  Islands  as  now  are  or  heretofore  have  been 
within  the  Limits  of  tlu;  said  Provinct^  of  Nova  Scotia." 

It  appears  to  me  that  His  Majesty  cannot  justify  taking  ])os- 
session  of  Moose  Island. 

\IIf-re  Colonel  Harchiji  repeats  the  imjHmcnts  used  in  tin'  fore- 
f/oing  tetter  from  Jiahje  licnson.] 

It  is  also  evid(!nt  that  the  Treaty  of  1783  whi(Oi  gave  to  the 
Unit(!dStates  "  all  Islands  within  twenty  leagues  of  the  Shorcsof 
the  United  States  excei)t  those  which  then  were  or  theretofore 
had  been  within  the  Limits  of  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia," 
intended  ouh'^  Islands  laying  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy  and  in  the 


")    \ 


'2H.S 


CORltKSPONDKNCK   OK   THOMAS    lUUCLAY 


Ocoau;  btTaiist!  it  rxprossly  duliiicis  Ukmii  to  Ih",  "  lyiuj;  be- 
tween Lim!8  to  bo  drawn  due  East  from  ilio  points  wlnii-o  tlic! 
at'orosai<l  Bonndarios  botwcion  Nova  Scotia  on  tlu^  omi  part 
and  East  Florida  on  tho  otluu-  sliall  rcspoetivcly  ton(^li  tlio 
Hay  of  Fnndy  and  tlu;  Atlantic,  ()(U'an."  —  Now  a  Line  di'iiwn 
line  I'Jd.sf,  from  the  middle  of  the  Www  S'  ('roix,  suppi»sin«^  its 
mouth  to  be  in  tln^  Hay  of  Fund  ',  would  run  in  an  opi)osite 
dire(^tion  from  a  Line,  whieh  is  to  includt^  Moose  island. 

I  havi;  in  a  former  letter  to  yon  observed  that  I  did  not 
think  Moose  Island  woi'th  five  hinuirel  (iruineas  to  an  Individ- 
ual. T  eonsidei'  it  of  no  eonse(iuen<n  to  His  Mnjesty  for  Foi*- 
tilhtations.  (^ampo  Hello  an  adjaeiMit  aid  mueh  lai"ji;er  Island 
is  better  adapted  either  for  defense  or  annoyance. — 


TO   MR.   ERSKINE. 


I    . 


New  Yoik  2;{  December  I80« 
SiK. 

Finch  the  Courier  who  left  this  o?i  the  12"'  of  Noveml)er 
with  youi'  dispatch  foi-  (iiMieral  Sii'  James  (Iraiiif  returned  last 
lOveniu}^  with  the  letter  I  have  now  the  I  lonor  to  inclose — Major 
Thornton  Military  Se(;retary  to  the  (ieneral  has  not  informed 
nie  of  the  day  he  arrived;  by  the  date  of  his  letter  to  me,  it 
must  have  been  on  or  before  the  28"'  of  November,  so  that  the 
Courier  was  not  moi-e  than  10  days  in  iioinjif,  which  was  very 
expinlitious  particularly  as  Lake  ('hiimplain  was  impassable  — 

The  small  letter  yon  sent  mo  on  the  11"'  Instant  to  forward 
and  which  came  too  late  for  the  sttcond  Coiu-ii^i-,  was  pnt  under 
a  cover  and  despatched  on  the  20"'  instant  by  a  very  reputable 
character  who  will  be  [)unctual  in  the  Delivery  of  it  — 


TO   MR.  ERSKINE. 


Silt. 


New  York,  9''  March  1809 


I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  lierewith  a  copy  of  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  to 


:  i.c- 

5   tilt! 

l>art 
t  the 
niwn 
ijrits 
)usito 

(1  not 
iliv'ul- 
r  Vov- 
Islaiid 


■  I  SOS 

vomber 
U'll  Itist 
-Major 
it'ornnMl 

iiu',  it 

at  the 
IS  very 

ible  — 
forward 
it  nwdvr 

(utablc 


ISOU 

iustruc- 
States  to 


CONHUL-GENEHAL,   1H07-1812 


289 


the  Collectors  of  the  diflfercnt  Ports  for  their  rule  of  conduct 
under  the  Non  intercourse  Act.*  — 

These  instructions  ai)pear  to  me  to  comport  neither  ^vith  the 
letter  or  spirit  >)f  that  A(;t;  and  pregnant  with  serious  incon- 
venience and  probable  loss  to  His  Majestys  Subj(!ets.  Should 
tliey  appear  in  the  same  light  to  you,  I  take;  it  for  granted  you 
will  endeavor  to  obtain  a  reasonabhi  alteration.  I  take  the 
liberty  to  iticlose  my  private  renuirks  on  the  instructions. 

Permit  mo  to  notice  that  it  will  be  necfvssary  to  obtain  from 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  an  additional  instrucition  to  the 
(,'Ommanders  of  the  American  Shii)s  of  War,  and  (Jun  Boats, 
and  to  the  Collectors  of  the  Customs  to  enjoin  the  Pilots  and 
Masters  of  Revenue  Cutters  to  give  notice  to  the  Masters  of  all 
foreign  Ships  and  Vessels  attempting  to  enter  the  harbours 
and  Waters  of  the  United  States  of  the  forfeiture  they  will  in- 
cur under  the  Non  intercourse  -.wt  by  entering  the  Harbours 
and  Watiirs  of  these  States.  Such  a  notice  to  persons  ignorant 
of  the  act  is  reasonable,  and  may  eventually  save  the  unpleas- 
ant circumstance  of  remonstrance  for  want  of  due  notice  — 


TO  DOCTOR  CROKE.- 


SlR. 


April  (?)  1809 


By  the  Brig  General  Prevost,  Tupper  Master,  I  did  myself 
the  Honor  to  inclose  to  you  a  copy  of  the  Non  int(!rcourse  Act 
passed  in  the  late  Session  of  Congress ;  together  with  an  ab- 
stract of  M'  Gallatin  the  Secretaiy  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
United  States,  his  circular  letter  of  instructions  to  the  Col- 
lectors of  the  Customs,  explanatory  of  the  Act  and  directing 
the  manner  in  which  they  were  to  conform  their  conduct  un- 
der it. — I  informed  vou  at  the  same  time,  that  I  had  stated  to 
His  Majestys  Minister  at  Washington,  the  objections  to  the  in- 
structions contained  in  the  circular  letter  before  mentioned ; 
and  took  the  liberty  to  recommend  to  liim  in  the  Event  of  his 
concurring  in  opinion  with  me,  a  remonstrance  on  the  part  of 

1  The  act  of  March  1,  1809. 
2  Dr.  Croke  at  this  time  was  Acting  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia. 

19 


f 


'Hi 


!   ■ 


^ 


§ 


290 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


Hi.s  Majesty. —  I  am  hajjpy  to  inform  you  tliat  M'  Krskiiu'  Ilis 
Majestys  Minister  made  such  a  rei)res(!ntation  to  tlio  Seca'otary 
of  tlie  Treasury,  ami  tliat  he  on  the  reconsideration  of  his  in- 
struetions  has  thouj;ht  proper  to  nuike  the  alterations  su<?- 
gosted.  I  inclose;  you  the  circular  on  this  subject,  whereby 
forei^'ii  Vessels  are  now  permitted  to  clear  out  until  the  20"' 
of  May  next  in  ballast,  or  with  tlie  Carpfoes  they  brought 
into  Port,  provided  they  have  not  been  landed,  for  any  port 
whatever. 


ik 


m. ,  f 


.)  ri 


'■  ; 


TO  CAPTAIN  HAWKES,   H.   U.  K.   MELAMPUS. 

New  York  31"'  I\Iiiv  180!) 
Slit 

I  have  this  moment  received  your  letter  of  yesterday  ac- 
<iualnting  me  with  your  beinj^  otf  Sandy  Hook  with  His  nuij- 
estys  Ships  Melampus  and  Euridice  under  your  (-ommand,  in 
cruizinij^  along  tliis  coast  to  endeavor  to  intercept  a  French 
Frigate  supposed  to  be  in  Boston  or  some  other  Port  in  these 
States,  and  reepiesting  mo  to  furnish  you  with  any  intelligence 
of  which  I  may  be  possessed. 

I  have  not  heard  of  any  French  Frigate  or  other  Ship  of 
War  having  arrived  for  months  past  or  now  being  in  any  Port 
within  the  United  States  of  America  nor  do  I  believe  there  is ; 
nor  have  I  any  local  or  foreign  news  to  communicate.  I  re- 
gret that  my  last  file  of  papers  were  forwarded  on  Monday  to 
R.  Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Cochrane. —  On  the  10"'  of  June  the 
intercourse  between  Great  Britain  and  these  States  is  to  be 
renewed,  and  His  Majestys  orders  in  Council  revoked  as  to 
American  Ships.  Congress  are  now  sitting,  and  an  act  has 
passed  the  House  of  Representatives  and  will  probably  pass 
the  Senate  and  President  opening  the  Ports  to  British  Ships 
immediately.  This  act,  I  have  some  reason  to  believe,  will 
be  on  tomorrow  or  next  day. —  Should  either  of  the  Ships  of 
War  under  your  command  be  in  want  of  supplies,  perhaps  it 
would  be  as  well  to  remain  off  and  on  a  day  or  two  to  know 
the  fate  of  this  Act,  of  this  however  you  are  the  best  Judge. — 


!     < 


ships  of 
Irhaps  it 
lo  know 
fudge.— 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1807-1812 


TO  MK.  HAMiMOND. 


291 


New  York  10'"  Nov'  I80i) 


Sir. 


(I'riMfc.) 


As  I  nm  ignorant  wlictlii'i*  M'  Jackson  Hi.-'  "Majostys  iMinis- 
ter  to  these  States  did  coinninnicato  by  the  At'ricainc  Frigate 
to  His  Majostys  Secretary  of  Statt^for  tlio  fonsign  Department 
the  nnpleasant  event  diitailod  in  the  inchtsed  letter;  (»i-  even 
vvhetlier  it  luid  o(^eurred  prior  to  tlie  dej)arture  of  the  Afri- 
caine  from  theC/hesepc^ak,  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  send  to  you 
a  copy  of  a  circular  Lt^ttia*  received  by  mo  this  day  from  M' 
Jackson,  which  you  will  have  the  Goodness  to  lay  l)efore  the 
Secretary  of  the  foreign  D(^partment,  provided  he  has  not  been 
advised  by  M'  Jackson  on  tlu;  Subject — ' 


TO  MR.  JACKSON. 

Now  Yorlr  24"'  November  1800 
Sir. 

I  regret  that  it  is  not  in  mj-  power  to  return  you  a  satisfac- 
tory answer  to  the  tirst  of  your  Questions  respecting  the  num- 
ber of  Militia  men  assembled  in  the  States  belonging  to  my 
district  in  eonsecpieuce  of  the  Presidents  orders  for  100000 
men  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness. —  It  appears,  from  cor- 
rect information,  that  the  American  Secretary  of  War,  sent  an 
order  to  the  (xovernor  of  each  State,  specifying  the  niimber  of 
men  the  State  he  commanded  was  to  furnish,  but  thn'  lie  did 
not  communicate  to  sucli  (ioverror  the  Contingent  to  iie  fur- 
nislied  by  each  of  the  other  States.  I  can  therefore  only  give 
the  number  this  State  furnished,  and  I  inclose  you  M'  Skin- 


'  Tho  ''  unploasant event"  was  the 
refusal  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment on  November  8  to  receive  fur- 
ther communications  from  Mr.  Jack- 
son. Tlie  circular  letter  addressed 
by  Mr.  Jackson  to  the  British  con- 
suls is  printed  in  American  State 


Papers, For.  Kel.,Vol. III,p.323.  Mr. 
Erskine  had  been  recalled  upon  the 
disavowal  by  the  British  0  overumeut 
of  tlio  arrangenu>nts  made  by  him, 
and  Francis  James  Jackson  was  ap- 
pointed his  successor.  Ho  arrived 
in  Washington  September  8,  1809. 


U 


M 


!    « 


■;      i 

1  ^' 

1 

} 

1 

1 

n 

1- 

1 

!i 


i 

I 


292 


(X)lUtKHP()NDRN('K   OF  THOMAS    HAUCLAY 


iicr,  till!  (Nmsiil  Jul  ititcriin,  diiriiif^  the  ul>s('n<'0  of  M'  Alton 
who  is  His  Majostys  Coiisul  for  Massiirliust'tts,  New  Hjunp- 
sliirc  niul  Verinoiit,  his  roport  of  the  Quota  i)roiiiis('(l  l»y  Miis- 
Hiichiisclts,  and  the;  roport  of  M'  (Jilpiu  ;  Vk-v  (.'oiisiil  for 
Couiicctiimt  aiul  Hhodo  Islaiid.  Tho  (lovcrnor  of  C'oniu'irtieut 
rt'fiiscd  to  obey  the  order  of  tho  I'rcisidi'iit,  no  militia  tlicreforo 
were  eiiilxxlied  under  that  order  in  that  State.  I  inclose  for 
yoni' information  a  copy  of  the  return  of  the  Militia  of  the 
United  States ;  eontained  in  M'  Jetfersons  letter  to  (!onj;ress  of 
the  2')  of  March  ISOH,  this  return  was  the  Scale  on  which  the 
relative  (piotas  of  each  state  was  j^raduated.  You  will  per- 
ceive by  contrastinj?  New  York  with  Rlassachusetts,  that  the 
proportions  an^  not  arithmetically  correct,  still  perhaps  sufli- 
«!iently  so  to  take  either  of  them  to  resolve  the  j)robal»le  num- 
ber furnished  by  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  the  two  States 
from  which  it  is  impractiitable  without  expense  and  jfreat 
trouble  to  t)btain  returns. —  The  Statu  of  New  York  furuLslu'd 
14;3;}9  Militia  men  under  the  order  of  the  President. —  They 
never  were  asseml)led  at  the  same  time  and  place.  Eai^h 
eoiuity  in  this  State  furnished  its  projxn-tion  of  the  143;}9 
Men,  under  the  order  of  th(i  (lovernor  of  this  State.  They 
were  drafted;  and  in  some  (Jounties,  the  men  were  three  times 
assembled,  in  others  only  once,  and  in  a  few  of  the  ('ountios 
th(\v  never  were  as.sembled.  In  the  ('ounty  of  New  York  they 
ass(*mbled  once:  but  on  legal  advice  beiuf?  taken,  it  was  dis- 
covered, their  attendance  could  not  be  eomi)elled,  and  the  two 
subse(iuent  meetings  of  the  drafted  Militia  for  that  City  and 
County  were  very  incomplete. —  The  Drafts  wei'e  generally  of- 
ficered, in  some  ('ounties  formed  into  Companies — The  (tov- 
ernors  order  si)ecified  the  respective  divisions  which  were  to 
form  each  Battalion  but  these  Divisions  never  united  so  as  in 
reality  to  form  Battalions.  They  did  not  receive  clothing. 
They  were  all  armed  with  their  own  Arms,  which  were  of  dif- 
ferent Calibres,  and  various  lengths,  some  with  Bayonets,  oth- 
ers without,  and  not  a  fourth  with  Cartouch  boxes.  The  Arms 
generally  speaking  the  reverse  of  serviceable. —  Not  any  pro- 
ficiency was  made  in  their  Military  Exercise  and  Movements. 
The  drafted  men  were  exempt  from  assembling  with  the  Vol- 


CONSUL-CJENEItAL,   1807-1812 


293 


iintcor  Corps  and  coninioii  Militia  on  tlic  ordinary  days  prc- 
.s('ril»('d  ]\y  ]mw;  miijl  tluiv  were  (lisclmrp'd  from  the  Spoei;'.! 
duty  for  whi(!li  tlu'y  bad  hnon  drafti'd. 


TO  MK.  MOIIFEU.' 

Now  York  10'"  October  1810 
SllJ. 

hy  tlio  Sandwicli  Packet  I  reoeivod  a  letter  from  M'  Hamil- 
ton tbe  Under  Secretary  of  State  for  foi-eij^n  Affairs  a(!([uaintinj5 
me  tbat  be  bad  sent  to  me  in  tliat  Packet  a  Box  (5ontaininf; 
several  eopiiis  of  M'  (Joldsniitbs  Hook  upon  tbe  secret  History 
of  the  ('ahinet  of  Hnonaparte:  -  and  tbat  be  was  directed  by 
tbe  Manpns  of  Wellesloy''  to  desire  that  I  would  forward  a 
dozen  copies  of  it  to  you,  and  take  yoin*  opinion  respe(!ting  tbe 
manner  in  which  I  should  distribute  the  renuiiiuler. 

By  this  days  Mail  I  forward  you  one  of  tliese  copies,  and  bog 
your  directions  whether  I  shall  send  the  remainder  in  a  Box 
by  tbe  mail,  or  by  water. —  Pernni  me  to  request  your  opinion 
in  what  manner  I  shall  distribute  the  rest,  so  as  to  render 
their  contents  generally  known  in  these  States. 


IK.  I 


1  John  Philip  Moricr,  British  Sec- 
retary of  Lcgiitioii,  and  Charg6  d'Af- 
f aires  ad  interim. 

2  Lewis  Goldsmith  was  a  Portu. 
ijuese  Jew  by  <lesc'ont,  an  English- 
man by  birtli,  and  a  jonrnalist  by 
profession.  lie  lived  many  years  in 
France,  and  was  the  father-in-law 
of  Lord  Lyndhurst.  According  to 
his  own  account,  he  was  on  intimate 
terms  witli  Napoleon,  who  trusted 
him  with  largo  sums  of  money  and 
employed  him  as  a  secret  agent  in 
various  dishonorable  transactions  — 
among  other  things  in  an  attempt  to 
kidnap  Louis  XVIIL  In  1809  he 
escaped  to  England,  and  in  1811 
started  a  subscription  for  setting  a 
price  on  Napoleon's  head.  This  mat- 

19* 


ter  being  brought  to  the  notice  of 
Parliament  on  June  24,  1811,  (ho 
Govennnent  expressed  groat  indig- 
nation, and  promised  to  punish  the 
author.  Their  indignation  did  not, 
however,  lead  them  to  take  any  ef- 
fective steps,  nor  did  it  prevent 
their  using  strenuous  efforts  to  con- 
tinue circulating  his  scurrilous  Se- 
cret History  of  the  Cabinet  of  Bona- 
parte, He  died  in  extreme  old  age 
at  Paris  in  1H46. 

'■^  The  Marquis  of  Wellesiey,  elder 
brother  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
was  appointed  Foreign  Secretary  on 
December  6,  1800,  upon  Canning's 
withdrawal  from  Perceval's  admin- 
istration. 


I, 


|: 


!  n 


k     I   I 


P^'JI* 


294 


CORHESl'ONDENCE   OK  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


Mr 


Some  delay  occui'red  in  ^cttin<;  Umvc  from  tlio  Custom 
IIoiiso  to  Land  the  Box,  as  it  was  not  included  in  the  mails,  to 
wliieli  cause  you  are  to  attribute  youi"  not  havini?  received  the 
coi)y  more  early. 

TO  MU.   HAMILTON.' 

New  York  (i  NctV  ISIO. 

Sir. 

I  ])ct*  leave  to  ac(iuaiiit  you  for  tlie  information  of  the  Mar- 
quis of  Wellesley,  that  INI'  JMorier  havin<;'  .!j,iveu  me  his  ()i>iuion 
that  the  most  eligible  mode  to  disti'ibute  the  copies  of  (Jold- 
smitlis  Secret  History  of  the  Cabinet  of  Buonaparte,  sent  by 
you  to  me,  was  to  forward  some  sets  to  each  of  His  jNIajestys 
Consnls  resident  in  these  States,  I  have  in  compliance  with  his 
directions  sent  six  sets  to  M'  Bond  His  Maiestvs  Consul  (Jen- 
era!  for  the  middle  and  Southern  States,  an  et,'-al  Number  to 
M'  Allen  Consul  for  Massachusetts,  Now  Hampshire  and 
Rhode  Island,  and  three  sets  to  each  of  His  Majestys  Consuls 
for  Maryland,  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  —  The  remainder 
after  forwarding-  a  dozen  copies  to  M""  Morier,  T  have  given  to 
well  disposed  Individuals,  who  have  promised  me  to  circulate 
the  contents  to  the  ntmost  of  their  power  —  One  copy  I  gave 
to  M'  Sargeant  a  Bookseller,  who  has  now  in  the  press  2000 
Copies  which  will  be  ready  for  sale  in  a  few  days.-' 


TO    THE    COMMANDER   OF    HIS    BlUTANNIC    MAJESTY'S 
SHir    OF  WAR    OFF  SANDY  HOOK. 


I   ■   y;    I 


BRITISH   CONSUL   OENEBALS   OFFICE 


Sir. 


New  York  2'  May  1811. 


I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  to  you  a  letter  received  from  the 
INIayor  of  this  City,  respecting  the  impressmimt  yesterday  of 

1  William  Richard  Hamilton,  Un-  '^  Sergeant's  edition  is  in  two  voi- 
der Secrc*ary  of  State  for  Foreign  nmes,  18mo,  and  is  accompanied  Vjy 
Affairs  from  October  16,  1809,  to  "  Notes  by  a  Gentleman  of  New- 
January  22,  1822.  York." 


M-ncK 
1811. 

I'oin  the 
i-day  of 

two  vol- 

xmicd  by 

of  New- 


CONSUL-(IE:;ERAri,    1S07-1S12 


205 


John  Dog^-ins/  a  native  Citizen  of  the  United  States  of  Ameriea 
from  the  Anu'rican  liri<i'  Spittire,  and  now  on  board  His  Ma- 
jestys  Ship  nnder  yonr  command  off  this  Port.  I  also  inclose 
three  atlitlavits  taken  before  ilw.  ]\[ayor,  which  f nlly  prove  that 
Dii^'i^'ins  is  a  native  Citizen  of  thes  >  States,  forcibly  taken  yes- 
terday from  the  Spitfire  and  carried  on  l)()ard  II :  M:  Ship  nn- 
der  yonr  command ;  and  your  refnsal  to  restore  him  to  Jo.sin' 
Fichett,  his  master,  who  was  a  })assenii'er  on  lioard  the  S[)itlire. 

In  addition  to  the  Ari^-nments  which  tlie  inclosed  depositions 
natui-ally  siif;'<i,'est  for  the  dischai'^e  of  this  man,  permit  me  to 
remark,  that  the  impressment  of  a  native  American  at  this 
moment  is  peenliarly  nnfoi'tnnate  as  the  two  Nations  are  far 
from  l)eing'  on  fric"  lly  Terms;  and  one  of  the  points  most  ob- 
stinately persevered  in  on  the  part  of  these  States  in  their  netjo- 
tiations  with  (Jreat  Britain,  and  which  at  present  forms  the 
priiHMpal  ol)jection  to  a  Treaty,  is  'Hhat  the  Commanders  of 
His  Majestys  Ships  of  War  shall  not  be  permitted  to  impress 
men  from  American  Vessels."  Now  notwithstanding  His  Ma- 
jesty can  never  surrender  his  right  to  take  His  Subjects  when 
found  at  Sea  on  board  neutral  Ships,  still  every  instance  of  an 
illegal,  unjustifiable  impressment  tends  to  weaken  this  right 
and  to  furnish  an  argument  for  its  being  given  up  — 

I  flatter  myself  on  a  perusal  of  the  inclosed  papers,  you  will 
readily  deliver  up  the  young  man  to  the  Person,  who  is  the 
Bearer  of  this  letter,  and  who  is  authorized  ])y  M'  Fichett  to 
receive  him.  Allow  me  to  assure  you  that  the  good  of  the 
Service  "^ocpiires  that  you  should  at  present  refrain  to  make 
impressments  on  the  coasts  of  these  States. 

I  am  under  the  awkward  necessity  of  addressing  this  letter 
to  you,  sim})ly,  as  *"■  the  Commander  of  His  Majestys  Shi])  of 
War  off  Sandy  Hook,"  not  knowing  either  your  name,  or  that 
of  yonr  Ship.-  For  several  days  past  we  have  had  accounts 
of  your  being  off  and  on  this  Port,  but  not  a  person  has  ai'- 

1  T)ofiffi;ins,   Dlf^o,   or  IMijj^io,   has  Belt  on  May  IG.    Sco  further  as  to 

obtained  a  t'ortaiii  liisforical  inpor-  liis  iinpressiiieiit,  page  297,  beU)w. 
tauco,  because  it  was  while  seeking        -  The  sliip  was  tlie  ( Juerrit^re,  after- 

toiuvestigatcliiscasetliiit flio  Presi-  ward    destroyed    in    action  by   the 

dont  met,  and  firi'd  upon  the  Little  Constitution. 


m 


■'} 


1 1: 

li 


q  n^ 


296 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


rived  who  has  been  able  to  give  the  name  of  the  Ship  or 
her  Commander  — 


TO  REAR  ADMIRAL  SIR  FRANCIS  LAFNEY,  LEEWARD 

ISLANDS. 


»■  ■  Si 


j  i ; 


1  I 


, 


BRITISH  CONSUL  GENERALS  OFFICE 


New  York  ir"  May  1811. 


Sir. 

It  may  not  be  improper  in  me  to  exphiin  to  you  my  induce- 
ment for  occasionally  making  to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty, 
and  to  the  Commanders  in  ('hief  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of 
War  on  foreign  Stations  applications  of  the  nature  I  am  now 
about  to  make  to  you,  as  in  addition  to  reasons  of  more  con- 
sequence ;  I  shall  acquit  myself  of  the  imputation  of  improper 
interference. — You  are  not  unacquainted,  that  the  American 
Government  are  loud  in  their  complaints  and  remonstrances 
that  Citizens  of  these  States  are  frequently  impressed  and  de- 
tained on  board  His  Majestys  Ships  of  War;  and  if  I  am  not 
misinformed,  one  of  the  principal  present  difficidties  in  effect- 
ing a  treaty  between  His  Majesty  and  these  States,  arises  from 
impressments  of  American  Seamen,  to  prevent  which  the 
American  Uovernment  require  that  no  Seamen  shall  be  im- 
pressed from  American  Ships — A  point  that  can  never  be 
agreed  to  on  the  part  of  His  Majesty. —  From  these  remarks,  I 
trust  you  will  agree  with  me,  that  if  Jiny  instances  occur  in 
which  the  Commanders  of  any  of  His  Majestys  Ships  of  War 
have  through  mistake  or  otherwise  impressed  a  Native  Citizen 
of  these  States,  it  is  for  the  benefit  of  His  Majestys  Service, 
that  the  circumstance  should  remain  unniported  to  the  Amer- 
ican Government,  and  thereby  an  official  representation  and 
remonstrance  prevented. —  Under  this  conviction  I  have  made 
it  a  rule  to  receive  private  applications,  and  after  making  due 
inquiry  to  transmit  either  to  the  Lords  of  tlie  Admiralty  or 
tlie  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  S(piadron  wherein  such  Sea- 
man is,  the  necessary  documents  to  prove  him  a  native  Citizen 


I. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1807-181[ 


297 


and  to  identify  his  person  —  Allow  nie  to  add  that  by  this 
mode  the  Parties  are  less  irritated,  and  generally  satisfied  with 
what  I  say  to  them. 

I  am  now  requested  by  M'  Spook  the  father  of  James  Spook 
both  of  whom  are  native  ('itizens  of  these  States  to  intreat 
you  will  have  the  goodness  to  order  James  Spook  to  be  dis- 
charged from  whatever  ships  he  may  be  in  under  your  com- 
mand —  He  was  originally  impressed  on  board  His  Majestys 
Brig  Frolick,  T  Whingates  Esq*^  Commander :  and  I  inclose  for 
your  satisfaction,  the  Certificate  of  his  Citizenship,  the  depo- 
sition of  the  Father,  and  certain  Questions  to  be  put  to  the 
Youth,  with  the  answers  he  ought  to  make,  to  entitle  him  to 
his  discharge.  Certificates  of  Citizenship,  are  evidence  I  place 
little  confidence  in ;  the  intention  on  the  part  of  ('on gross  was 
correct;  but  the  Certificates  have  been  issued  to  all  descrip- 
tions of  persons,  from  the  native  American  to  the  Ii*ish  and 
Scotsman  not  two  months  from  his  native  Country. — 


TO   EEAK-ADMIEAL   SAWYEK,  HALIFAX. 

BRITISH   CONSUL   GENERALS  OFFICE 

New  York  20"'  May  1811. 
Sir  — 

I  am  under  the  necessity  of  calling  your  attention  to  the 
two  following  cases  of  impressment  by  Captain  Pashell  of  His 
Majestys  Ship  Guerriere.  On  the  first  of  these  I  wrote  to 
Captain  Pashell  while  he  was  off  this  Port,  and  a  Pilot  Boat 
was  despatched  to  deliver  it,  the  Boat  returned  without  being 
able  to  meet  the  Guerriere  and  the  letter  is  on  board  the  Rev- 
enue Cutter  now  at  Sea  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  it. —  On 
the  first  instant  John  Digo  a  native  citizen  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  an  apprentice  to  Josiali  Fiehet  of  Port- 
land Ship  Carpenter  was  impressed  off  this  Port  from  on 
board  the  American  Brig  Spitfire  of  Portland  in  the  Province 
of  Main,  a  new  Vessel  built  by  M'  Fiehet  coming  to  this  place 
for  sale,  by  His  Majestys  Frigate  Guerriere.  M'  Ficihet  went 
on  board  the  Gueriere  claimed  the  young  man,  but  Captain 


'!^ 


I:; 


i 


0 


'»*•" 


B^ 


298 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


!  i 


;;i 


I  ! 


Paslicll  refusinl  to  deliver  him  —  I  have  examined  M'  Fichett 
and  the  Captain  of  the  Jivlg  as  well  as  several  other  persons, 
and  there  is  no  donbt  that  Di<>'e()  is  a  Native  Citizen  of  these 
States  —  He  was  born  at  Cape  Elizabeth  in  the  Province  of 
Main  and  has  a  Sear  on  the  back  of  one  of  his  hands  — 

On  the  fifth  of  May  off  Long  Island  to  the  N :  E  of  this 
Port,  Captain  Pashell  also  impressed  another  American  Sea- 
man from  the  American  Sloop  George  named  Gideon  Caprion, 
the  documents  respecting  whom  I  have  the  Honor  to  inclose  — 
At  the  present  moment  such  impressments  off  the  mouths  of 
American  Ports  are  peculiarly  unfortunate,  and  what  adds  to 
the  disagreeableness  of  the  circumstances,  is  that  both  these 
men  belong  to  Eastern  States  who  are  not  in  the  habit  of  giv- 
ing Certificates  of  Citizenship  to  His  Majestys  Subjects ;  have 
few  of  their  men  impressed  through  mistake,  and  are  therefore 
more  sensibly  hurt,  whenever  such  accidents  occur  in  addition 
to  whi(?h  the  people  of  the  Eastern  States  are  more  Friendly 
to  the  English  than  all  the  other  States. —  Permit  me  there- 
fore to  request  you  will  have  the  Goodness  to  order  these  two 
young  men  to  be  discharged,  and  when  discharged  to  direct  them 
to  be  delivered  to  M'  Lawrence  Hartshorne,  who  has  my  direc- 
tions to  supply  them  with  money  to  carry  them  to  their  Homes. 

I  have  stated  these  impressments  to  have  been  made  by 
Cap*  Pashell  of  H.  M.  S.  Gueriere ;  yet  I  am  not  positive  this 
is  the  case.  The  Commander  of  the  Frigate  which  has  been 
for  some  days  off  this  Coast  concealed  his  own  and  his  Ships 
name.  But  several  Vessels  which  came  into  Port  have  Stated 
that  the  name  of  the  Frigate  was  Gueriere.  Yet  I  observe  in 
the  News  Paper  which  I  inclose  to  you  that  the  name  of  the 
Ship  on  board  of  which  Digo  or  Diggio  was  impressed,  is  said 
to  be  the  Pizarro.    This  you  can  easily  ascertain. 

TO  THE  MARQUIS   OF  WELLESLEY. 

B:  C:  G:  Office  Now  York  16  Aug'  1811. 
My  Lord  — 

I  received  by  the  last  Pacquet  a  letter  from  M' Hamilton 
under  Secretary  for  the  foreign  department  of  State  dated  the 


1' 


1811. 


CONSUL-GEN  EKAL,  1807-1812 


299 


17"'  of  June,  in  which  he  iufonns  ine  tliat  your  Lordship  had 
directed  him  to  triiusniit  to  me  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Rear 
Admiral  Sir  Francis  Lafney  Bar*:  ('ommander  in  ('hief  in  the 
Lticward  Islands,  representing  that  the  French  Privateer  La 
Diligente  had  captured  several  English  and  Spanish  Vessels, 
and  that  she  was  reported  to  be  in  part  owned  by  persons  in 
New  York  whither  she  was  bound ;  and  that  your  Lordship 
desired  me  to  enquire  into  the  truth  of  the  above  statement 
and  to  report  to  your  Lordship  the  residt  of  my  enquiries  and 
also  to  communicate  the  same  to  His  Majestys  Minister  at 
Washington  — 

In  obedience  to  your  Lordships  directions  I  have  made  an 
attentive  search  through  the  Books  of  the  Customs  in  this  City, 
and  in  the  different  Insurance  offices  lierc,  in  which  registers 
are  left  of  any  Vessel  which  arrives  in  this  Port ;  but  not  a 
Vestige  is  to  be  found,  that  a  Privateer,  or  any  other  Vessel, 
of  the  name  of  La  Diligente  has  been  in  this  Port  or  is  owned 
by  a  Person  in  this  City ;  nor  have  the  officers  of  the  Cus- 
toms, or  of  the  Insurance  offices  any  recollection  of  such  a 
vessel  having  entered  or  departed  this  Port.  I  have  extended 
ray  enquiries  to  the  Pilots  and  other  Individuals  who  it  was 
probable  might  recollect  the  Circumstance,  all  of  whom  assure 
me  they  believe  such  a  vessel  never  was  here  of  that  name  — 

La  Diligente,  (Irassin  Commander  is  a  French  Privateer  well 
known  throughout  these  States,  in  consequence  of  the  great 
number  of  English  Spanish  and  American  Vessels  which  she 
has  captured,  plundered,  in  some  instances  allowed  to  be  ran- 
somed, but  generally  destroyed.  The  number  of  American 
Vessels  by  her  captured  far  exceeds,  that  of  English  and  Span- 
ish United.  Captain  (rrassin  arrived  in  La  Diligt^ite  this  last 
Spring  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  and  liis  Scluxmer  still  re- 
main. The  American  News  papers  have  been  tilled  witli  details 
of  American  Ships  by  him  captured  and  destroyed.  The  Pop- 
ulace in  Philadelphia  meditated  to  burn  this  Schooner,  at  the 
instance  however  of  Captain  Urassin  the  Governor  of  the  State 
of  Pennsj'lvania  issued  a  Proclamation  inhibiting  under  heavy 
penalties  any  person  or  persons  from  injuring  or  molesting 
the  person  or  property  of  Captain  Grassin  in  consequence  of 


T 


I'll 


ill 

1 

1 '    ' 

liS|i 
■li 

i  :!'. 


300 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


:  j  I 


{:.! 


whicli  the  Vessel  remains  safe  at  Philadelpliia  —  Several  ac- 
tions have  been  commenced  against  Captain  Grassiu  by  Citi- 
zens of  these  States,  not  any  of  wliich  have  yet  l)een  tried  — 

It  is  said  a  Frenchman  named  (iuier  who  lately  removed 
from  Baltimore  to  this  City  and  who  I  nnderstand  is  not  a  re- 
spectable Character  is  a  part  owner  of  the  La  Diligente.  It 
has  also  been  snggested  that  Uuier  is  merely  the  nominal 
owner  —  I  sent  a  Frenchman  in  whom  I  could  confides  to  en- 
deavour to  draw  from  him  whether  he  was  really  the  owner  or 
in  any  way  interested  in  the  Vessel.  The  inquiry  was  well 
managed  the  subject  introduced  as  if  by  accident  and  he  was 
asked  whether  he  had  made  any  insurance  on  his  Vessel  in 
Philadelphia  against  any  acts  of  violence  which  might  there 
be  committed  against  her  —  He  replied  he  had  no  interest  in 
the  Vessel  and  was  merely  Agent  to  ('aptain  ( Irassin  — 

There  is  at  present  a  small  French  Privateer  from  L'Orient 
cruizing  off  this  Port,  named  the  Marengo,  Ordonaux  Mas- 
ter—  C'aptain  Lawrence  of  His  Majestys  Pack(?t  the  Duke  of 
Kent  is  under  no  apprehension  of  danger  from  her. 

TO   MR.  FOSTER.! 


M 


i,i 


Sir. 


New  York  28"  August  1811 


I  have  the  Honor  to  send  addressed  to  you  the  Evening 
Paper  of  this  day,  from  which  you  will  perceive  that  the  Brit- 
ish Merchant  Ship  Tottenham,  Young  Master,  arrived  in  this 
Port  at  3  oClock  this  afternoon,  a  Prize  to  the  French  Priva- 
teer the  Duke  of  Dantzic,  Arregnaudic  Conmiander,  member 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  The  Tottenham  was  captured  off 
Barbadoes  the  3''  instant  —  The  Captain  and  Crew,  three  men 
and  two  Boys  excepted  who  were  left  on  Board  her,  were 
taken  on  board  the  Privateer. —  I  have  seen  the  Tottenham, 
She  appears  a  Ship  of  (500  Tons,  I  am  told  is  laden  with  Coals, 
the  British  Flag  hoisted  under  that  of  France  — 

1  Augustus  J.  Foster  was  ap-  in  Washington  July  1.  He  had  al- 
pointed  as  Minister  to  the  United  ready  been  here  as  secretary  to  Mr. 
States  in  April,  1811,  and   an-ived    Merry. 


1 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1807-1812 


301 


le  liaii  ^^- 
Uy  to  Mr. 


The  abov(i  information  I  have  thovij;^]it  necessary  to  give 
you,  as  I  do  not  know  of  any  Law  of  nations,  which  aUows 
the  Prizes  of  Belligerents  to  be  brought  in  and  recisive  pro- 
tection and  comforts  in  a  Port  of  a  nation  at  peace  with  both 
the  Belligerents — The  Collector  here  can  do  nothing,  conse- 
(liu'ntly  an  api)li(!ation  from  you  to  the  American  Seciretary  of 
State  for  the  restoration  of  this  Ship  is  the  only  possible  mode 
by  which  possession  can  be  obtained  —  I  am  told  by  a  man 
who  was  on  board  the  Tottenham  that  all  the  Prize  Crew  are 
British  or  American  Seamen  as  they  spoke  the  English  Ian 
guage  with  great  fluency. 

TO    MR.    FOSTER. 

New  York  2"''  December,  1811. 
Dear  Sir. 

Having  some  days  since  discovered  that  the  collector  of  the 
customs  in  this  port,  had  granted  permission  to  the  captors  of 
the  British  Ship  Tottenham,  a  prize  now  here,  taken  by  a 
French  Privateer  in  the  West  Indies,  to  sell  the  cargo  of  that 
shij),  for  the  i)urpose  of  repairing  hei-;  and  being  convinced 
that  the  captors  did  not  intend  to  repair  the  ship,  and  that 
their  object  was  only  to  realize  the  amount  of  the  cargo,  I 
considered  it  my  duty  to  remonstrate  against  it,  and  wrote  to 
the  collector  a  Letter  to  that  effect,  a  copy  of  which  I  have  the 
Honor  to  enclose.  You  are  the  best  judge,  Sir,  how  far  such 
a  License,  operates  in  violation  of  those  principles  of  neutral- 
ity which  the  United  States  of  America  uniformly  assert  they 
scrupulously  maintain  towards  (Ireat  Britain  and  France. 
Permit  me  to  make  this  one  remark,  that  the  sale  of  the  whole 
was  incorrect,  because  it  was  uncertain  what  the  amount  of 
repairs  and  other  incidental  charges  would  be ;  I  am  further 
of  opinion  that  the  repairs  should  have  been  made  before  the 
permission  for  the  sale  was  gi-anted.  The  cargo  though  not 
amounting  to  a  large  sum,  I  am  of  opinion  will  pay  more  than 
double  the  expense  of  repairs  and  charges. 

Permissions  like  this  will  induce  the  Commanders  of  French 
Privateers  co  send  theii*  prizes  to  these  States,  as  the  proceeds 


i| 


I  ! 


'=1 


■tl 


302 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


of  the  cargo  sold  here  under  a  Custom  House  License,  will 
amount  to  something  of  consequence;  and  while  it  is  so  much 
saved  to  the  captors,  it  takes  from  His  Majestys  subjects  the 
possil»ility  of  recapture. 


M 


FROM   SIR  GEORGE   PREVOST. 

Quebec  4tli.  Januaiy,  1812. 
Dear  Sir  :  — 

I  have  been  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  September  and 
October  letters  to  announce  to  you  my  appointment  to  the 
Chief  Command,  Civil  and  Military,  in  the  British  American 
provinces,  but  from  some  cause,  hitherto  unknown,  neither 
the  one  or  the  other  of  those  mails  has  yet  reached  Quebec  — 
However  I  will  no  longer  delay  ac<iuainting  you  that  under  a 
special  Instruction  from  the  Prince  Regent  I  assumed  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Government  of  Lower  Canada,  until  a 
Commission  of  Captain  General  could  be  sent  to  me,  and  that 
I  received  about  the  same  time  His  lioyal  lligluiess's  appoint- 
ment as  Commander  of  the  Forces  in  British  America. — 

Considering  the  spirit  of  hostility  shewn  to  England  by  the 
United  States  no  longer  likely  to  be  confined  to  a  paper  and 
commercial  warfare,  and  that  therefore  it  is  of  importance  I 
should  receive  a  correct  accoimt  of  the  disposition  aud  views 
of  the  Americjm  Government,  I  have  sent  Capt.  Coore  one  of 
my  Aids  de  Camp  to  Mr.  Forster  for  that  purpose,  who  is  in- 
structed to  communicate  with  you  as  he  passes  through  New 
York.    As  great  confidence  may  be  placed  in  Captain  Coore's 


1  Sir  Goorge  Prevost,  born  in  New 
York  in  1707,  was  tlie  son  of  Augus- 
tine Prevost,  an  officer  in  the  British 
Army,  and  Theodosia  de  Vismo,  his 
wife.  A  iigustine  Prevost  having  died 
in  the  West  Indies  about  1776,  his 
widow  married  Aaron  Burr  and  be- 
came the  mother  of  Theodosia  Al- 
ston. George  Prevost  entered  the 
British   Army,   served    with    some 


credit,  became  a  Baronet  and  Lieu- 
tenant-General,  and  succeeded  Sir 
James  Craig  as  Commander  of  the 
Forces  in  British  North  America  — 
a  post  ho,  held  all  through  the  war 
with  the  United  States.  His  military 
career  came  to  an  end  with  the  fail- 
ure of  his  attack  on  Plattsburgh  in 
September,  1814.  He  died  in  London 
in  January,  181G. 


;?!' 


m 


(1  Lieu- 
edctl  Sir 
ev  of  the 
nierica  — 

the  war 
s  militavy 
11  tbe  fail- 
sburgb  in 
u  London 


CONSUL-GENERAL,    1807-1812 


ao;] 


(liscrotion,  I  hetx  loavo  to  rcforyou  to  him  for  any  further  par- 
ticulars rcsptHitinji;  his  present  mission. 

I  have  etc. 

Geokoe  Phevost. 


FROM  SIR  JOHN   SHERHllOOKE. 

Halifax,  13'"  Jany,  1812. 
My  dear  Sir: — 

As  the  Packets  ^oing  home  do  not  touch  liere  at  tliis  season 
of  the  year  and  as  some  of  tlie  Merdiants  are  very  desirous  of 
sending  Utters  to  Enjj^land  I  liavc  for  the  pii.)lic  accommoda- 
tion ordei'cd  a  Government  Schooner  to  New  York  in  the  ex- 
pectation that  She  will  arrive  there  before  the  next  packet  will 
sail  from  thence  for  Falmouth  and  as  we  are  very  much  in  the 
dark  here  with  res^jcct  to  the  Stati;  of  Public*  Affairs  in  your 
part  of  the  wcjrld,  I  shall  hope  to  be  favouri'd  with  a  letter 
from  you  by  this  Vessel  when  She  returns. 

I  beg  to  offer  you  my  best  thanks  for  some  New  York  Ga- 
zettes to  <3rd.  Dec.  last  Avhich  you  were  so  obliging  as  to  send 
me  Via  Eastport  &  which  were  particidarly  accepta1)le. 

As  I  think  it  probable  that  Mr.  Forster  may  wish  to  com- 
municatee with  Admiral  Sawyer  or  with  me,  I  enclose  a  letter 
which  I  beg  you  will  forward  to  Him,  and  I  sl'ould  wish  the 
Schooner  to  renuiin  at  New  Y''ork  iintil  you  receive  jMr.  Fors- 
ters  answer  in  case  He  should  have  any  letter  to  send. 

The  Commander  of  the  Schooner  has  received  orders  to  re- 
port himself  to  you  on  his  arrival  at  Ncav  Y''ork,  &  to  attend  to 
any  directions  which  you  may  think  proper  to  giv(>  Him.  If 
you  have  not  already  forwarded  the  Articles  which  your  Sou 
was  so  good  as  to  request  you  would  purchase  for  me  some 
time  ago,  I  beg  they  may  be  sent  by  this  Conveyance  and  as  I 
have  desired  the  Commander  of  the  Vessel  to  buy  several  other 
things  for  me  at  New  York  I  .shall  l)e  indebted  to  you  if  you 
will  afford  him  every  assistance  in  making  these  purchases. 

I  have  etc. 

J.  C.  Sherbrooke. 

1  Commander  of  the  Forces  at  Halifax. 


I 


i-^;. 


'  i'  ii  i 


'ii 


n" 


'Mi 


I 


I) 


!  :l 


li 

,) 

'I' 


,i 


\k 


;   i 


ui 


,  1 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


TO  SIR  GEORGE  PREVOST. 


Dear  Sir. 


New  York,  22"''  January,  1S12. 


Ca})taiii  Coorc  a  few  days  siiico  dolivered  me  your  private 
Letter  of  the  4"'  of  this  month,  aniiounein<x  your  appoiiitm(Mit 
to  the  ehief  eommaud,  eivil  and  military  in  the  Britisli  Ameri- 
can Provinees.  Permit  me  to  eougratuhite  you  on  tliis  ad- 
ditional Testimony  of  His  Majestys  j^raeioiis  (!onfldence  in 
yon,  and  His  Koyal  a])i)rol)ation  of  your  (ionduet.  Mr.  Foster 
whose  residence  at  Washinj^ton  affords  him  peculiar  advan- 
tages in  ol)tainiim:  eorrect  information  of  the  intentions  of 
this  (Tovcrnment,  will  naturally  possess  (*aptain  Coore  with 
all  that  he  knows  on  this  subject,  to  be  communicated  to  you. 
On  Captain  Coores  return  to  this  place,  I  sliall  learn  from 
him;  what  Mr.  Fosters  opinion  is,  and  should  it  nuiteiially 
differ  fnmi  mine,  I  will  give  him  my  SentinuMits  and  the  rea- 
son whereon  they  are  founded,  that  you  may  form  a  C(n'reet 
Judgment.  I  agree  with  you  that  the  period  is  fast  approach- 
ing when  these  States  will  take  active  hostile  measures  against 
Grreat  Britain.  And  it  is  apparent  that  their  first  military 
operations  Avill  be  directed  against  His  Majestys  Provinees  of 
lower  and  upper  Canada.  I  am  satisfied  also  that  attempts 
will  be  made  to  seduce  the  Inhabitants  of  upper  Canada  gen- 
erally, and  the  French  Canadians  in  lower  Canada  from  their 
allegiance.  You  will  pardon  therefore  the  liberty  I  take  in 
recommending  the  utmost  attention  in  admitting  persons 
within  cities  of  these  provinces,  as  attempts  will  be  made  to 
introduce  characters  fitted  to  persuade  and  delude  the  igno- 
rant. There  is  a  man  who  lives  on  the  Line  (45)  between  these 
States  and  Lower  Canada,  Col.  Armstrong  knows  him,  his 
name  is  Rous.  Of  him  particular  care  sliould  be  taken,  and 
of  those  who  have  communications  with  him.  He  is  a  sensi- 
ble, intriguing  cunning  man,  eminently  qualified  for  such  pur- 
poses, and  well  acquainted  with  all  the  disaffected  Canadians. 
His  movements  require  special  care. 


'11 


CONSUL-GKNKUAL,    1H07-1H11! 


[m 


FKOM  CAPTAIN   THOMSON,   H.  M.  S.  C'OLIBIU. 

11.  M.  Sloojt  Colibri,  StJiU'ii  Isliind. 

Janv.  cUst.  1H12. 
Sir: 

I  bc^  loiiveto  acquaint  yon  for  the  information  of  the  Ainuri- 
can  government  of  the  arrival  of  liis  Mujustys  Sloop  under  my 
command  with  dispatches  for  tlie  liritisli  Minister  at  Wash- 
ington, which  require  an  answer  and  which  I  am  to  be  the 
bearer  of,  I  have  therefore  to  recpicst  you  will  be  i)leased  to 
forward  them  witliout  delay  —  Tiiey  will  bo  delivered  to  you 
by  Lieut.  Stephens,  he  will  inform  you  of  our  sad  disaster  at 
Amelia,  where  we  had  run  from  us  no  less  than  thirteen  men, 
eight  of  whom  took  a  boat  &  went  to  St.  iNIarys  on  the  Ameri- 
can side.  I  waited  on  Commodore  Canqjbell  and  the  puldic 
Authorities  recpicsting  them  to  grant  a  warrant  for  their  ap- 
prehen.sion  but  without  effect,  altho'  I  met  my  men  w.ilking 
the  streets  I  dared  not  apprehend  them,  without  I  was  on  the 
eve  of  being  mob'd  for  only  speaking  to  them  and  I  consider 
myself  fortunate  to  have  escaped  withoiit  a  broken  head,  o 
hopeful  Land  of  liberty,  you  will  perceive  Sir  how  disagreeable 
it  must  be  to  a  British  officer  to  enter  any  of  the  Ports  of  the 
United  States  at  this  critical  period,  when  we  are  in  dayly  ap- 
prehension of  our  men  deserting,  and  when  they  once  touch 
the  shore  laugh  at  us,  and  are  then  protected  by  the  public 
Authorities.  For  my  own  part  I  think  perfect  Harmony  can 
never  exist  between  the  two  countrys  until  all  deserters  are 
given  up  on  both  sides  and  this  settled  by  treat}'. 

I  am  informed  there  are  a  nuinber  of  distressed  British  sea- 
men in  ISew  York,  and  as  I  am  considerably  short  of  comple- 
ment I  have  to  request  you  will  use  your  exertions  to  procure 
me  some  of  them  as  we  will  make  some  stay  here.  I  have  sent 
the  Purser  to  procure  Fresh  Beef  &  vegetables  whom  I  will 
thank  you  to  assist,  wo  shall  allso  want  before  we  sail  four 
live  Bullocks  with  a  proportion  of  Fodder  and  about  ten  or 
flveteen  Tons  of  water. 

I  have  etc. 

Jno.  Thomson,  Captain. 

30 


'I    ■    1  ■■ 


irr 


■ 


W 


'Mii 


COUllESF'ONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BAltCLAY 


FROM   MR.   FOHTER. 


I  ,i  ' 


Washiii'^ton,  Miirdi  2(5,  1812. 
My  dear  Sir 

I  have  not  iirj^od  tills  (lovoniniont  iijjjaiii  witli  rcj^anl  to  tho 
Tottciiliam,  nor  do  I  mean  to  do  so  until  you  sluill  have  heard 
of  the  result  of  your  application  for  leav(!  to  ransom  her. 

The  (Conduct  of  Sir  James  Craif^,  sliould  the  pajx^rs  pro- 
duced by  Henry  ])rove  authentic,  in  i  y  opinion,  adnuts  of 
little  Justification.'  It  seems  to  have  heen  dangerous  impoli- 
tic and  imprudent.  I  have  not  asked  to  h)ok  at  the  papers 
nor  could  I  compare  his  Si<;nature  with  any  Letters  in  his 
hand  writinj^  which  you  may  have,  without  incurring  the  Risk 
of  bcin<^  ohlif^ed  to  acknowledge  a  lieseml)hince,  therefore  I 
wouhl  not  trouble  you  to  serai  them  to  me. 

Should  any  rtaf^rant  (^ase  of  French  Violation  of  tlie  Hijjfhts 
of  America  come  under  your  kno\vled}i;e,  ]  sliould  be  miicii 
oblifi^cd  to  you  if  you  would  send  me  an  authentic  (^>py  of  any 
document  which  you  might  be  able  to  lay  your  hands  on.  I 
regret  that  Mr.  Stewart  of  New  London  has  not  sent  me  a 
Copy  of  the  Protest  of  (Captain  Chew.'^ 

I  am  &c 

Aug.  J.  Foster 


I  heard  of  one  Cask  of  apples  arriving  safely  for  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton the  Un.  Sec^  who  says  they  are  excellent  —  so  good  he 
wishes  for  some  more. 


1  James  Henry's  secret  correspoii-  French  frigate,  .and  brouglit  news  of 

dencB  with  Sir  James  Craig  was  sent  the  burning  of  two  American  mer- 

to  Congress  on  March  9,  1812.  chantmen  by  a  French  squadron. 

'^  The  brig  Thames,  Samuel  Chew,  Adams'  Hist,  of  the  U.  S.,  Vol.  VI, 

maste"    had   been    searched  by  a  p.  193. 


L    1 


m 


12. 

u  the 

I 

<  pro- 
its  of 
inpoli- 
)iil)ei's 
in  his 
e  Risk 
jt'ore  I 

Hi^'lxts 
s  uiueh 
'  of  any 
J  on.  I 
k  me  a 


)STER 

V.  Haui- 
fcjood  he 


lit  news  of 
ican  mer- 
sqiiadron. 
Vol.  VI, 


CONSlTL-fJENKRAL,    1807-1812 


FROM  MR.  FOSTER. 


807 


Washington  April  10,  1S12 
My  dear  Sir, 

T  l)('lit'V((  tlio  U.  S.  Act  will  \n'  soon  snspcndtMl  or  cvon  re- 
I)('!il(?(l.  You  soc  it  is  broufijlit  on  in  Conj^rcss.'  I  lu'licvd  tlio 
Congress  talk  of  adjourniiifj^  to  lie  20  .luno.  There  is  a  rejiort 
credited  by  many  that  do  W.  Clinton  will  (M)alesc»^  with  Mr. 
Madison  and  be  V.  President.  Your  New  Y'ork  polities  are 
becoming;  interesting.-  If  you  hoar  of  anythinj;  detMsivtf  in 
that  way  pray  let  itie  know.  Do  you  know  what  Mi*.  Villiers 
Mansel  is  come  to  this  country  about.  He  is  a  young  man  I 
believe  of  about  JJl  years  of  age  —  I  am  told  he  is  coming  on 
here.  I  lun  &e 

Aug.  J.  Foster. 

Is  there  any  way  of  writing  to  England  from  New  York.  I 
return  you  many  thanks  for  your  troubh>  in  trying  to  get  me 
the  documents  abou<^  ships  captured  &c.  A,  J.  F. 


FROM   MR.   FOSTER. 

Washiu^ton  April  24,  1812 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  thank  yon  for  your  letter  of  the  19"'  inst.  The  Senate 
read  twice  a  bill  for  adjourning  to-day,  thne  in  blank,  supposed 
will  be  to  the  2'.'  June,  it  is  uncertain  if  it  will  pa^..'  in  the  house. 
Indeed  everything  is  uncertain  here.  Last  week,  we  should 
have  all  sworn  there  would  be  war,  to-day  it's  adjournment. 
Don't  be  suri)rized  if  I  fear  conunitting  myself  in  giving  an 
opinion  when  such  changes  are  constantly  taking  jjlace. 

I  will  be  much  obliged  to  you  to  give  me  the  Character  of 
de  Wit  Clinton  how  he  lives  at  New  York,  what  fortune  he 
has,  his  age  &  friends. 

1  A  bill  to  suspend  the  non-impor-  -  An  election  wl  i  to  take  place  in 

tation  act   was   considered   in  the  May  ;  and  it  resulted  in  a  Federalist 

House  of  Representatives  on  April  suceoss. 
9.    It  did  not  pass. 


I 


i'l 


V'T" 


308 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


I  tihall  also  thank  you  to  g  e  me  any  information  you  may 
possess  as  to  the  State  of  defences  of  New  York  Harbor  &  as 
to  tlie  nianufaetures  lately  established  in  the  State. 

Ever  yours  &e 

Aug.  J.  Foster. 


^.k 


H  ^ 


If. 


\  i 


FROM   VICE-ADMIllAL   SAWYER. 

Bermuda  May  7,  1812 
[rrii'dte.) 
My  dear  Sir, 

The  Bramble  is  charged  with  Despatches  for  Mr.  Foster, 
and  has  brought  two  Seamen  late  of  the  Chesapeake,  which  I 
retain  here  'till  the  pleasure  of  the  U.  S.  Goverumeut  is  known, 
as  to  where  they  are  to  be  sent  —  with  which  infornuitiou  the 
Bramble  will  call  here  on  her  wa!/  home  —  when  I  hope  at  the 
same  time  to  hear,  matters  at  Washington,  are  from  the  late 
aggressions  of  the  French,  putting  on  a  more  favourable  as- 
pect —  His  K,  H.  the  Regent  appears  to  have  great  difficulties 
in  forming  an  Administration,  but  we  still  trust  the  good 
sense  of  all  parties  will  prevail,  and  the  general  good  be  the 
ultimate  object  of  all  —  in  Spain  all  looks  well,^  and  in  the 
North,  it  is  to  be  hoped  Buonaparte  will  lind  his  hands  full. 

I  have  very  much  to  thank  you  for  your  attention  to  all  my 
little  Commissions,  and  vnW  take  care  you  receive  the  amount 
in  specie,  as  soon  as  I  reach  Halifax, —  my  departure  for  which 
will  not  be  (if  no  unforeseen  occurrence  arises)  till  after  I  again 
hear  from  Mr.  Foster. 

We  have  ships  on  the  look  out  for  the  French  Frigates,  who 
seem  to  spare  their  friends  as  little  as  their  iocs  —  which  is  per- 
haps at  this  moment  very  fortunate. 

Will  Mr.  Madison  in  any  shape  avow  or  countenance  the  iate 

transa(;tion  at  Ameii;.  ?  - 

I  am  &(i 

H.  Sawyer. 

1  Chidad  Rodrigo,  January  19;  though  liis  action  was  disapproved, 
Badajoz,  Ajjril  C,  1812.  possossioii  of  tlio  islaud  was  retaiued 

2  General  Matthews  seized  Ame-  by  the  Uuited  States, 
lia  Islaud  on  March  19,  1812;   and 


"^.V 


1 


tX)NSUL-UKNERAL,    1807-IH1'J 


;k)1) 


P.  S,  I  liavo  just  p:()t  liold  of  \>\0  Dolliirs  wliich  I  soud  in 
part  payment  of  my  drhts  —  pcrliaps  you  can  send  mo  a  few 
Pots  of  verij  sHpcrior  frciich  Ponuituui — and  two  Half  Clu'sts 
of  Tea  by  this  same  Bramble  —  or  to  Halifax  at  some  future 
time. 


I  I 


FROM   MR.   FOSTElt. 


is  per- 


Washiufjton  May  10,  1812 

(Privafe.) 
Dear  Siu, 

It  was  a  Map  that  mijj^ht  include  a  ji^oneral  outline  of  the  liar- 
bour  of  New  York  with  its  Islands  &  batteries  that  I  wished, 
but  I  should  rather  hav^e  a  ji^ood  plan  of  the  harbour. 

I  am  obliged  to  you  for  all  your  hints  &  for  your  Informa- 
tion about  Emigrants  to  the  U.  S.  I  fear  the  sending  back 
some  of  the  Irish  unless  done  with  great  Cireonspection  might 
tend  in  a  degree  to  hold  forth  an  idea  that  returning  would  be 
a  Matter  of  little  difficulty  &  encourage  many  to  come  over  on 
speculation  to  look  about  them  in  the  hopes  of  getting  back 
for  nothing  if  they  did  not  succeed  —  tlio'  the  Welsh  ease  you 
cite  is  certainly  a  strong  one.  Perhaps  the  promising  to  send 
their  Letters  free  of  Exi)ence  to  their  friends  might  have  the 
same  eifect  as  their  being  sent  back  by  holding  to  them  an  in- 
ducement to  write  their  sentiments  freely  &  at  full  length.  It 
must  be  seldom  that  a  Man  who  has  once  broke  up  his  Estalj- 
lishment  &  the  ties  which  attach  IiIm  to  a  Country  can  be  an 
acquisition  to  it  in  returning. 

It  is  now  thought  that  the  Restrictive  System  is  all  the  rage 
and  that  the  plan  of  war  is  but  a  Mask  to  the  continuance  of 
it, —  so  absolutely  are  they  here  without  Chart  or  Compass 
that  I  really  am  at  a  loss  to  give  you  news  —  or  accounts  of 
any  kind. 

When  I  see  such  unstabk  proceedings  T  think  more  than 
ever  on  the  value  of  the  sentinuMits  of  Horace  Ji(sfu»i  et  tena- 
cem  propositi  virum  &c  —  but  then  the  justum  is  as  it  should 
be  the  first  word  &  Condition  of  all  the  rest. 

20* 


ir 


I 


ii 


il. 


310 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF   THOMAS   BARCLAY 


Be  assured  wc  work  for  friendly  relations  with  A.inerica  but 
then  it  is  necessary  they  should  be  more  impartial  &  less  un- 
gracious to  us  than  they  have  hitherto  been. 

What  is  beconu^  of  Mr.  Villiers — it  was  said  he  was  at  Bal- 
timore—  is  it  not  strange  L''.  Jersey's  Brother  should  be  here 
&  have  no  lettt;r  for  me  who  know  L'".  and  L^.  Jersey  very  well  ? 

Ever  Yours  &c 

Aug.  J.  Foster. 

I  am  glad  to  see  you  have  sent  on  my  Letters  to  Halifax  — 
where  can  the  V.  Admiral  be.  I  much  fear  some  Collision 
with  the  American  frigates  —  they  have  taken  in  6  months 
water  &  provisions  I  hear  and  are  gone  Southward. 

A.  J.  F. 


J  IT 


h 


11 

; 

i  flla 

■ 

!  \ 

It 

y 

A 

FROM  MR.   FOSTER. 

WaHhinjrton  Jirifi  20,  1812 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  am  not  yet  able  to  send  you  officially  the  decision  of  the 
American  Government  respecting  your  Consular  functions 
nor  the  act  declaring  War.  I  shall,  however,  be  able  to  do  so 
to-morrow. 

I  pray  you  to  send  off  Coasters  in  every  Direction  to 
apprize  H.  M.  Ships  of  the  State  of  things  that  they  may 
keep  together  and  join  the  cidmiral.  The  American  frigates 
have  no  orders  as  I  have  been  informed  to  go  far  to  Sea  in 
Search  of  our  Ships,  and  no  Privateers  will  be  yet  allowed  to 
go  to  Sea. 

Mr.  Baker  ^  does  not  go  on  to-morrow  but  a  Mr.  Hamilton 


1  Authouy  St.  John  Baker,  the 
British  Secretary  of  Legation.  He 
remained  for  some  time  in  the 
United  States  acting  as  agent  for 
prisoners  of  war.  The  Government 
finally  refused  to  hold  further  com- 
munication with  him,  and  ho  re- 
turned to  England  about  the  begin- 


ning of  the  year  1813.  He  was  Sec- 
retary of  the  British  Commissioners 
at  Glient;  brought  the  ratified  treaty 
to  Washington,  and  was  then  re- 
ceived as  Charge  d'Aif aires,  in  which 
office  he  continued  until  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Charles  Bagot  as  Minister,  in 
1817. 


CONSUL-GENERAL,   1807-1812  3II 

fT.v^'wtf  *f '  f '>f  «J^««  fo^-  ^ne  to  E- .gland  by  way  of  Hali- 
fax will  set  out  in  Monday's  mail  stage.  I  beg  you  will  en- 
deavour to  procure  a  Conveyance  for  him  either  to  <lrop  him  at 
Halifax  or  conditionally  to  take  him  the  whole  way  to  Eng- 
land should  the  Adm'  have  no  vessel  for  him. 

I  am  &c 

Aug.  J.  Foster 


i  li 


I! 


I        h 


u- 


m 


f  n 


.(/•y^T"' 


'      i 


CHAPTER  VII 
AGENT    FOR    BRITISH    PRISONERS 

HM.  S.  CoLiBRi,  sailing  away  from  New-York  with 
•  the  British  Minister  and  the  British  Consul- 
General,  touched  at  Halifax,  and  was  there  met  by  the 
news  that  Great  Britain — just  too  late — had  suspended 
the  orders  in  council.  Foster  forwarded  the  despatches 
to  Baker,  his  Secretary  of  Legation,  at  Washington,^ 
and  the  CoUhri  continued  on  to  England,  arriving 
about  August  22,  1812.  If  Barclay  landed  at  Ports- 
mouth, as  is  most  likely,  he  must  have  been  welcomed 
there  by  his  naval  son,  who  had  just  been  appointed  to 
command  H.  M.  S.  Success,  then  lying  at  Portsmouth 
under  ordcn's  for  Halifax  and  Bermuda. 

On  reaching  London,  Barclay,  like  many  an  Ameri- 
can traveler  since  his  day,  took  lodgings  in  Clarges 
street,  near  Piccadilly ;  and  later  removed  to  Queen 
street  just  out  of  Curzon  street  in  Mayfair. 

A  month  after  his  departure  from  New- York  the  war 
had  fairly  })egun,  with  its  two  unpleasant  surprises  — 
defeat  for  the  Americans  on  land  and  for  the  British  at 
sea.  Hull  had  surrendered  at  Detroit  on  August  IG, 
and  three  days  later  the  Constitntlon  had  utterly  de- 
stroyed the  Gucrriere,  after  less  than  thirty  minutes  of 
fierce  cannonading. 

The  news  of  both  events  reached  London  on  Octo- 

1  American  State  Papers,  For.  Rel.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  587. 

312 


'<h 


kA\ 


AGENT   FOR   BRITISH  PRISONERS 


313 


le  war 
Ises  — 
tisli  at 

ist  16, 
•ly  de- 
ttes  of 

Octo- 


ber 6.  On  September  1,  Jonathan  Russell,  the  Amer- 
ican Charge,  had  notified  Lord  Castlereagh  of  his 
departure  for  the  United  States,  and  of  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Beasley  as  American  agent  for  prisoners 
of  war  in  Great  Britain ;  and  three  weeks  later  he  had 
sailed  for  New- York.  It  had  thus  become  evident  that 
the  American  Government  was  in  earnest  in  its  prose- 
cution of  the  war ;  that  each  party  had  failed  where  it 
might  reasonably  have  felt  a  confidence  of  success; 
that  the  combatants  were  not  unequally  matched ;  and 
that  the  struggle  promised  to  be  long  and  doubtful. 

Prisoners  on  each  side  were  rapidly  accumulating. 
What  with  the  naval  and  military  forces  that  had  sur- 
rendered, and  the  crews  of  merchant  ships  taken  by 
privateers  or  national  vessels,  the  numbers  were  al- 
ready large.  In  England,  and  at  Quebec,  Halifax,  and 
Jamaica,  American  prisoners  were  confined  in  barracks 
or  on  shipboard.  At  Salem,  Pittsfield,  Worcester,  Al- 
bany, Savannah  and  Chillicothe,  British  soldiers  and 
sailors  were  detained, — often  with  inadequate  food  and 
clothing,  in  unsuitable  quarters,  and  not  infrequently 
in  the  common  jail.  The  appointment  of  a  British 
agent  for  prisoners  of  war,  to  reside  in  the  United 
States,  was  thus  an  obvious  necessity,  and  the  choice 
very  naturally  fell  upon  Barclay.  The  formal  mode  of 
his  appointment  is  not  a  little  singular,  as  illustrating 
the  methods  of  circumlocution  which  prevailed  in  the 
British  public  service.  On  November  13,  1812,  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty  issued  tlieir  order  to  "the  com- 
missioners for  conducting  his  Majesty's  transport  ser- 
vice," directing  them  to  appoint  Colonel  Barclay  tlieir 
accredited  agent  in  the  United  States  for  the  purpose 
of  attending  to  the  relief  of  British  prisoners,  with  a 
salary  of  two  pounds  a  day,  and  allowances  for  clerk 


I! 


Ill 


ii 


314 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


hire  and  traveling  expenses ;  and  thereupon  the  trans- 
port board  in  turn  issued  their  warrant  to  Barclay,  and 
gave  him  the  necessary  authority  and  instructions. 

Having  obtained  leave  from  the  Foreign  Office  to  ac- 
cept this  appointment,  Barclay  sailed  from  Portsmouth 
early  in  January  for  Bermuda,  where  he  met  and  con- 
sulted with  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren,  the  admiral  in 
command  of  the  station,  who  had  been  vested  with  ex- 
tensive powers  to  treat  with  the  American  Government. 
From  Bermuda  Barclay  proceeded  to  New-York,  where 
he  arrived  on  April  1,  1813,  and  immediately  went  to 
Washington  to  present  his  credentials  to  the  Secretary 
of  State.  The  President  had  appointed  as  Commissary- 
General  of  prisoners,  General  John  Mason,  who  lived 
near  Georgetown  on  the  pleasant  island  of  Analostan ;  * 
and  with  him  Barclay  at  once  proceeded  to  business. 
The  first  step  was  to  frame  a  cartel  for  regulating  ex- 
changes of  prisoners.  A  preliminary  agreement  had 
been  concluded  at  Halifax  in  November,  but  it  was  de- 
fective and  unsatisfactory  in  many  respects,  and  after 
much  discussion  a  revised  agreement  was  prepared  and 
signed  at  Washington  on  May  12, 1813.  It  provides  for 
the  humane  treatment  and  speedy  exchange  of  prison- 


1  John  Mason  was  the  fourth  son 
of  the  well-known  Virginia  states- 
man, George  Mason  of  Gunston  Hall. 
He  was  born  in  the  spring  of  1766, 
and  spent  several  of  the  earlier  years 
of  his  life  as  a  merchant  at  Bor- 
deaux, in  France.  He  married  a  Miss 
Murray  of  Annajiolis,  Md.,  and  thus 
became  connected  with  Kichard 
Rush,  whose  wife  was  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  Masou's.  Another  sister  was 
the  wife  of  Governor  Lloyd  of  Mary- 
land. Mason  was  a  man  of  means 
and  entertained  largely,  and  at  the 


time  of  the  war  with  England,  Ana- 
lostan Island  (which  lies  in  the  Po- 
tomac, opposite  Georgetown)  was 
one  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the 
District  of  Columbia.  A  charming 
account  of  the  house  and  grounds, 
as  also  incidentally  of  Mrs.  Mason 
and  lier  nine  children,  will  be  found 
in  Warden's  District  of  Columbia 
(1816),  pp.  134-150.  "  We  walked  to 
the  Mansion  house,"  says  the  writer, 
"imder  a  delicious  shade,  the  blos- 
soms of  the  cherry,  apple  and  peach 
trees,  of  the  hawthorn  and  aromatic 


f.        \: 


m 


AGENT   FOR  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


315 


ers  of  war;  defines  what  persons  are  to  bo  considered 
non-combatant,  and  declares  that  tliey  shall  not  be  hold 
as  prisoners ;  authorizes  the  appointr'  out  by  each  party 
of  sub-agents  at  the  several  depots;  establishes  the 
forms  of  paroles  for  officers,  the  a^lovances  for  subsis- 
tence of  prisoners  in  health,  and  the  v  are  to  be  given  to 
the  sick ;  spe(;ifies  what  punishments  may  bo  inflicted  in 
case  of  disorderly  conduct ;  prescribes  the  number  of 
cartel-ships  to  be  employed,  and  how  they  shall  be  fitted 
and  supplied  ;  and  in  general  regulates  with  great  pre- 
cision the  rights  of  prisoners  and  the  powers  and  duties 
of  prison  guards. 

This  task  completed,  and  the  troublesome  business 
of  verifying  the  number  and  rank  of  the  prisoners  on 
each  side  being  put  in  a  fair  way  of  settlement,  Barclay 
left  Washington  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  once 
more  found  himself  in  the  rural  seclusion  of  Harlem. 
New- York  was  considered  a  military  post  and  ho.  was 
forbidden  to  come  within  it,  so  that  his  activities  were 
necessarily  confined  to  a  very  sustained  and  vigorous 
correspondence  with  General  Mason  and  with  the  vari- 
ous British  sub-agents  throughout  the  country.  The 
correspondence  with  Mason,  extending  over  a  period 


shrubs,  filling  the  air  with  their  fra- 
grance. .  .  .  The  house,  of  a  simple 
and  neat  form,  is  situated  near  that 
side  of  the  island  which  commands 
a  view  of  the  Potomac,  the  Presi- 
dent's house,  the  Capitol,  and  other 
buildings.  The  garden,  the  sides  of 
which  are  washed  by  the  waters  of 
the  river,  is  ornaraontod  with  a  va- 
riety of  trees  ami  shrubs,  and  in  the 
midst,  there  is  a  lawn  covered  with 
a  beautiful  verdure."  At  a  later  pe- 
riod   Mason    built    another  house. 


which  was  modeled  after  the  style 
of  a  French  chateau,  and  was  known 
as  Clermont,  in  Fairfax  County,  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  there  he  died  on  March 
19,  1849.  One  of  his  sons,  John 
Murray  Mason,  sat  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  and,  in  connection 
with  his  colleague,  Mr.  Slidell  of 
Louisiana,  acquired  international 
notoriety  in  1861.  See  as  to  the 
Mason  Family,  Miss  Rowland's 
Life,  Correspondence,  and  Speeches 
of  George  Mason. 


■i  I 


'T 


31G 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


of  nearly  eijjchteen  montlis,  embraced  a  multiplioity 
of  topips.  The  rights  of  non-combatants,  the  otcect  of 
paroles,  the  carrying  away  of  slaves,  the  alleged  seduc- 
tion by  one  nation  or  the  other  of  i)risoners  in  its  cus- 
tody, were  constant  subjects  of  discussion.  The  send- 
ing to  England  of  some  Irish  soldiers  captured  on  the 
Niagara  River,  whom  it  was  believed  the  British  Gov- 
ernment intended  to  try  upon  charges  of  treason,  led 
to  retaliation  and  coimter-retaliation ;  and  the  escape 
of  certain  British  officers  held  as  hostages  at  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  gave  still  further  occasion  for  endless  ex- 
change of  letters.  In  addition,  there  were  the  daily 
questions  of  detail  —  the  giving  of  a  parole  by  this  offi- 
cer and  the  surrender  of  his  parole  by  that ;  the  status 
of  the  crew  of  the  Essex,  captured  at  Valparaiso  and 
paroled  by  Capt.  Hillyar,  R.  N.,  of  whom  a  certain 
midshipman  Farragut  was  one ;  the  sailing  and  arrival 
of  cartel-ships;  the  verification  of  lists  of  prisoners; 
the  physical  condition  of  the  men  at  the  various  de- 
pots as  reported  by  the  sub-agents:  all  of  which  needed 
incessant  attention.' 

For  a  time  matters  went  forward  smoothly  enough ; 
but  toward  the  autumn  of  1813  the  letters  began  to 
assume  a  m  re  acrimonious  tone,  each  of  the  corre- 
spondents being  engaged  in  the  fascinating  but  some- 
what futile  pursuit  of  trying  to  put  his  adversary  in  the 
wrong.  Mason,  however,  had  at  least  the  advantage  of 
physical  force  on  his  side,  and  he  sought  to  cut  the  cor- 
respondence short  by  bringing  Barclay  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Washington.  An  order  was  issued  designating 
Bladensburg  as  his  place  of  residence.  Barclay  pro- 
tested in  vain.     He  was  assured  that  "  Bladensburg  is 

iThe  correspondence  was,  in  part,  laid  before  Congress,  and  will  be  found 
in  Amer.  State  Papers,  For.  Kel.,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  630-684,  728-730. 


if^P 


an  to 
orre- 
ome- 
the 
eof 
e  cor- 
libor- 
lating 
pro- 
urg  is 

36  found 
730. 


Ill 


AGENT  FOR  RRITISH  PRISONERS 


317 


a  comfortable  village,  inhabited  by  a  respectable  people, 
among  whom  are  several  opulent  and  genteel  Fainilies, 
supplied  by  a  plentiful  adjacent  country,  and  affording 
for  occupancy  not  only  decent,  but  convenient  and  re- 
spectable houses,"  and  the  order  to  proceed  thither  was 
repeated.  Barclay  despatched  to  London  his  resignation 
as  agent  for  prisoners,  to  take  effect  on  the  arrival  of 
his  successor,  and  about  February  22,  1S14,  he  re- 
luctantly set  out  over  the  all  but  impassable  roads  of 
retreating  winter  for  the  "comfortable  village"  which 
was  to  be  his  residence. 

His  residence  at  Bladensburg  was  brought  to  a  sud- 
den close  by  causes  over  which  neither  he  nor  the 
American  Government  had  any  control.  On  August 
17  Admiral  Cochrane's  squadron  anchored  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Patuxent,  and  landed  upward  of  4000 
British  troops.  Two  days  later  Mason  wrote  that  a 
"  residence  at  a  place  in  the  interior  more  remote  from 
the  waters  "  was  considered  suitable  under  the  existing 
circumstances,  and  Barclay  was  required  to  remove  at 
once  to  Hager.stown.  On  the  morning  of  August  24 — 
the  day  of  the  battle  of  Bladensburg — Barclay  departed. 

A  week  later  Mason  wrote  again.  The  purport  of  his 
letter  this  time  was  to  inform  Colonel  Barclay  that  the 
American  Government  declined  to  hold  any  further 
correspondence  with  him.  Two  grounds  were  assigned 
for  this  determination.  The  first,  that  Barclay  had  not 
left  Bladensburg  until  the  very  day  of  the  battle ;  the 
second,  that  he  had  attem})ted  to  communicate  secretly 
with  Admiral  Cochrane.  Barclay's  reply  was  brief. 
He  had  remained  at  Bladensburg  because  he  could  find 
no  vehicle  to  carry  him  away ;  and  though  he  had  given 
Mr.  Edward  Calvert  a  letter  to  Admiral  Cochrane,  it 
was  merely  to  request  him  to  release  two  of  Mr.  Cal- 


*■  3 

I 


318 


CORRESPONFJENl^E   OF   THOMAS  BARCTiAY 


vert's  servants  who  had  been  made  prisoners.  This 
exphmation  was  never  disputed,  and  subsequent  events 
showed  that  the  authorities  at  Washington  were  satis- 
fied there  was  no  dishonoi-abk^  pur})ose  in  Barchiy's 
eonduct.  But  a  natural  irritation  lingered  after  the 
burning  of  Washington,  and  Bai'clay,  at  his  own  request, 
was  furnished  with  a  passport  to  leave  the  country. 

About  the  middle  of  October,  1814,  he  sailed  from 
Now- York  in  the  American  ship  Fhif/al,  accompanied 
by  his  youngest  son  Anthony,  who  had  come  back  with 
him  from  England.  Barclay  had  intended  taking  with 
him  his  wife  and  his  unmarried  daughter,  Ann  ;  but  for 
some  reason  they  were  left  behind. 

The  war  was  nearly  over  when  Barclay  for  the  third 
time  landed  in  England.  For  three  months  the  com- 
missioners of  the  two  belligerent  nations  had  been  sitting 
at  Ghent,  and  by  the  end  of  November  negotiations  had 
so  far  progressed  that  the  sole  remaining  questions  had 
been  reduced  to  two  points — the  fisheries  and  the  pos- 
session of  Moose  Island  in  Passamaquoddy  Bay.  On 
December  24,  1814,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed. 

Barclay  found  both  his  elder  sons  again  promoted. 
De  Lancey  had  been  appointed  to  the  First  Foot  Guards 
on  July  25.  Thomas  had  been  made  a  post  captain 
on  June  7,  upon  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  peace 
with  France,  and  had  retired  on  half  pay  September 
30,  1814. 

TO   Mil.   HAMILTON. 


Sir. 


No.  4  Clargos  Street,  London, 

21st  November,  1812. 


In  a  conversation  sone  days  since  with  Sir  Rupert  George 
of  the  Transport  Board,  lie  mentioned  to  me  the  necessity  of 
sending  to  America  an  Agent  for  Prisoners  of  War,     I  iu- 


'! 


1 


AGENT   von    nillTISH   PKISONERS 


319 


forniod  liiin  tliat  if  it  met  with  tlio  approbatiou  of  Lord  Cas- 
tloroagli,'  I  had  no  ol)je('tioii  to  go  in  that  cliaracter,  as  I  was 
at  j)ivs(>nt  without  any  iinint'diat(^  con.suhir  cinploynient,  and 
considcsred  it  probable  nniku*  t;h)ak  of  the  superintenchinoe  of 
British  Prisoners  of  War,  I  might  from  time  to  time  liave  it 
in  my  power,  from  the  extensive  accpiaintanee  whieh  fourteen 
years  residenee  in  the  United  States  had  given  me,  to  furnish 
not  only  His  Majesty's  ministers,  but  the  (lovernor  General  of 
('anada  and  His  Majesty's  naval  and  military  Commanders  in 
Nova  Scotia  with  (Mirlv  infornuition. 

I  am  now  called  on  for  my  answer,  or  rather  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  without  any  further  eommu- 
nication  have  ordered  me  to  be  appointed.  I  <!annot  however 
think  of  accepting  this  appointment  without  Lord  (Jastle- 
reagh's  entire  approbation,  and  under  an  assurance  that  it 
shall  not  interfere  with  the  consular  appointment,  I  have  for 
many  years  held  under  His  Majesty. 

Emph)yment  to  me  i^  preferalde  to  Idlent.'ss,  and  I  feel  as- 
sured, that  if  the  War  witli  America  is  protractted,  it  will  be  in 
my  power  from  holding  the  })roposed  appointment  to  commu- 
nicate to  His  Majesty's  ministers  earl}-  intelligence  of  what 
occurs  in  the  states.  Under  this  impression  permit  me  to  re- 
quest, you  will  be  pleased  to  communicate  the  purport  of  this 
letter  to  Lord  Castlereagh  and  to  add  that  if  it  is  his  [>leasure 
I  should  go  to  America  under  the  present  temporary  proposed 
appointment,  that  I  am  ready  to  obey  his  commands ;  if  not 
that  I  will  immediately  decline  the  proposal. 


1812. 

George 
3sity  of 
I  iii- 


FKOM   MR.  HAMILTON. 

Foreign  Office, 

Nov.  27,  1812. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  did  not  omit  to  lay  before  Lord  Castlereagh  your  letter  of 
the  21st  inst  acquainting  His  Lordship  of  your  nomination  by 

iLord  Castlereagh  became  Foreign  Seerotary  on  February  22,  1812,  on 
the  retirement  of  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley. 


I 


;j2o 


(;OUltKSI>ONI)KN('10  OV  TH(JMAS    MAItCLAY 


tlu*  Lords  of  tlid  Adminilty  to  rcsido  iis  A<,'('iii,  for  I'risonors 
of  Wiir  ill  tho  United  States  of  Anici'ica  and  rcMincstiiij^  iiis 
Sanction  to  your  acjccptancH!  of  that  Appoint nient.  I  have 
the  Satisfa(!tion  to  assun;  you  that  Lord  Clastloreaj^h  i»(M'f(!ctly 
approves  of  your  Intention  to  ae<;ej)t  it  if  not  objectionalde  to 
yourself,  and  that  it  will  in  no  way  interfere  with  tho  renewal 
of  your  late  Appointnieut  under  this  offleo. 


I  am  &c 


W.  Hamilton. 


FllOM   THE   TllANSPOllT   150AUD. 


SlK. 


Tninspurt  office  11"'  December  IH12. 


Having-  by  our  warrant  under  tliis  date  appointed  you  to 
be  an  A^ent  to  reside  in  the  United  States  of  Anu'rica  for  the 
relief  of  British  Prisoners  of  War  in  those  States,  and  for 
carrying  on  under  our  direction  a  general  exchange  of  Prison- 
ers upon  such  Principles  as  may  hereafter  be  settled  ])etween 
the  two  Countries,  we  direct  you  upon  the  receipt  of  this  letter 
to  proceed  with  all  convenient  dispatch  to  the  United  States 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  upon  yourself  the  Fuuctious  of  your 
employment  accordingly ;  and  immediately  after  your  arrival 
there  you  are  to  present  yourself  to  Admiral  Sir  John  B.  War- 
ren, or  the  Flag  officer  Commanding  in  Chief,  or  senior  officer 
on  that  Station,  and  to  communicate  to  him  your  warrant  and 
instructions  consulting  with  '-n  as  to  the  fittest  place  for  you 
to  take  up  your  residence 

You  will  lose  no  tiT-  landing  of  the  American  Gov- 

ernment, through  th  er  Channel,  permission  to  visit  all 

the  depots  for  British  ±.  risoners  of  War  as  often  as  you  may 
judge  necessary,  taking  care  to  inform  the  American  Govern- 
ment, that  whatever  Privileges  and  Tndulgencies  may  be  al- 
lowed to  you  the  same  will  be  granted  to  M"^  R.  G.  Beasley 
who  is  accredited  here  as  the  American  Agent  for  Prisoners 
of  War. 

You  are  further  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  to  endeavour 


Aap]NT   VOli   HHITISH    I'lllSONKKS 


321 


aGov- 
isit  all 
)ii  may 
overn- 
be  al- 
easley 
isoners 

leavour 


to  procuro  from  siioh  (lopartincnt  of  the  Aincricun  (rovcrn- 
niuiit  as  tli(!  liiisiiit'ss  niay  iiiiiiicdiatcly  ooikmmmi  (and  to  trans- 
mit to  us)  11  list  of  all  till'  Hritish  Suhjucits  who  aru  detained 
us  Prisoiiors  of  "War  in  the  United  States,  speeifyinij^  their 
names,  (piality,  time  of  eai)ture,  in  what  Ship  captured,  the 
plaee  of  their  detention  and  whether  on  parole  or  not  respec- 
tively, as  also  lists  of  all  such,  as  shall  have  been  released  sineo 
the  c(mimeneement  of  the  War. 

For  your  information  and  j^niidanee  we  herewith  transmit 
to  you  Copies  of  the  several  instructions  and  rejrulations  n^la- 
tive  to  the  treatment  of  Americnm  Prisoners  of  War  in  Ili'alth 
in  this  Countiy,  and  of  the  allowance  nuuhi  to  them,  whether 
in  confinenumt  or  on  Parole,  and  with  respe(!t  to  sick  Prison- 
ers it  is  only  necessary  to  inform  you,  that  they  are  treated  in 
all  respects  the  same,  as  Seamen  of  His  Majestys  Navy.  There 
is  no  part  of  the  Treatment  of  American  Prisoners  here,  that 
we  are  not  desirous  to  bo  open  to  every  proper  inspection,  and 
the  most  humane  and  genei'ous  means  are  established  for  af- 
fording tliem  every  reasonable  comfort  that  their  State  of 
Captivity  will  admit  of.  We  therefore  flatter  ourselves  that 
upon  your  application,  the  American  Government  will  issue 
such  orders,  as  may  bo  necessary  for  your  having  commu- 
nication with  all  the  British  Prisoners  either  personally,  or 
through  the  medium  of  such  Sub-Agents,  as  j'ou  may  find  it 
necessary  to  appoint,  and  gcjnerally  give  you  every  assistance 
in  the  execution  of  the  Service  entrusted  to  yonr  case. 

You  are  to  report  to  us  as  soon  as  ^)ossiblc,  the  exact  (pian- 
tities  and  nature  of  the  allowances,  whether  in  provisions,  or 
money,  which  the  British  Prisoners  may  be  entitled  to  from 
the  American  Government,  and  you  are  always  t(»  be  i)arti(ni- 
larly  attentive  that  those  allowances  be  fully  distributed. — 
Y  >u  will  also  take  care  to  inform  yourself,  whether  there  are 
any  British  Prisoners  entitled  from  their  Rank  and  Qualities 
to  the  indulgence  of  Parole,  who  do  not  enjoy  it ;  and  in  the 
event  of  any  case  of  this  kind  or  iini)ro})er  treatment  of  any 
other  nature  coming  to  your  knowledge,  you  are  to  make  a 
becoming  remonstrance  to  the  proper  department  of  the  Amer- 
ican Government  on  the  Subject. 

21 


'• 


■,'K 


322 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


i 


You  are  to  lose  no  time,  in  obtaining  inforitnition,  respect- 
ing the  State  of  th(^  clothinijf  of  the  Prisoners,  and  to  report 
the  same  to  us,  in  order  that  we  may  be  (enabled  to  j;ivc  you 
directions  on  the  subject.  In  tlie  mean  time  we  autlioiize  you 
to  purchase  on  the  best  terms  in  your  power,  such  articles  as 
any  of  the  Prisoners  may  be  in  al)solute  want  of. 

Besides  the  allowances  which  may  be  made  to  the  Prisoners 
by  the  Amoiican  (Jovernment,  we  auth'  '^ze  you  to  cause  to  bo 
paid  to  them  the  several  allowances  S|)e(ntied  in  the  enclosed 
paper  according  to  their  respective  qualities,  on  account  of 
this  department,  aking-  (!arc  that  such  payments  be  made  ac- 
cording to  the  par  of  exchange. 

If  British  Prisoners  carried  into  the  Ports  of  the  United 
States  by  French  cruizers  be  delivered  up  to  your  Sub  Agents, 
and  no  objection  to  their  release  be  made  on  the  part  of  the 
American  Government,  you  are  to  cause  all  Prisoners  of  that 
description  to  be  subsisted  at  the  charge  of  this  department 
from  the  time  of  their  being  so  delivei'ed  up,  and  we  author- 
ize you  to  pay  to  such  Prisoners  tlu!  daily  allowances  specified 
in  the  above  numtioued  Paper  according  to  their  respective 
Ranks. 

With  respect  to  the  Hire  of  Vessels  for  the;  removal  of  Pris- 
oners of  War  from  the  United  States,  you  aiv  to  consult  the 
Admiral  if  there  be  time ;  and  also  to  ai)[)ly  to  the  Boards  Agi^nts 
at  Halifax  and  Bennuda  in  case  they  should  have  any  Vessels 
at  their  disposal,  transmitting  Lists  &c  &c  to  those  Agents  of 
the  Prisoners  embarked ;  and  it  is  expected  you  will  pay  every 
attention  in  your  [)ower  to  the  most  strict  Economy  in  this,  as 
well  as  every  other  matter  respecting  which  it  is  imt)ossi])le  to 
give  you  any  definite  instructions.  We  think  it  proper  how- 
ever to  observe  to  you,  that  all  Vessels  ought  to  l)e  hired  at  a 
certain  rate  per  man  or  per  Ton  for  the  Voyage  or  Run ;  and 
not  for  time,  and  that  no  Prisoners  be  sent  to  Europe  without 
the  order  of  the  Commander  in  Chief  or  Flag  officer,  but  be 
conveyed  to  Halifax,  Bermuda,  and  the  West  India  Islands, 
including  tlie  Bahamas.  The  proportion  of  the  Prisoners  to 
the  T(,ii'nige  of  a  cartel  Vessel,  nnist  depend  upon  the  length 
of  the  Voyage,  and  the  particular  construction  of  the  Vessel, 


AC+ENT   FOR   BRITTSTI   PRISONERS 


323 


ect- 

[)()Vt 

you 

DS  as 

:)ners 
to  l)e 
•loscd 
lilt  ot 
It',  ac- 

Juited 

.o'CUtS, 

of  the 

)f  that 

rtinent 

autlior- 

peeilied 

jpective 

of  Pris- 

siilt  tlio 
Ati;outs 
Vessels 
o-eiits  ot 
ay  every 
1  tins,  as 
)SsiV)le  to 
Iper  how- 
ired  at  a 
un;  and 
>  without 
r,  but  he 
Islands, 
souers  to 
le  length 
e  Vessel, 


but  between  this  Country  and  Franco,  it  is  usual  to  embark 
not  less  than  three  men  for  every  two  Tons.  The  daily  ra- 
tion which  you  are  to  order  for  Britisli  Prisoners  while  on 
their  voyage  from  tlie  United  States  is  to  be,  one  pound  of 
Bread,  one  pound  of  Beef  (or  two-thi"ds  of  a  pound  of  Pork) 
and  one  quarter  of  a  pint  of  Rum  for  all  Prisoners  without 
distinction,  arid  no  more. —  The  Passports  to  be  given  to  such 
Vessels  must  of  course  be  from  the  American  Government, 
and  all  Vessels  conveying  American  Prisoners  from  hence 
will  be  furnished  with  Passports  from  us  in  the  annexed  form, 
nevertheless  each  Vessel  having  British  Prisoners  on  Board, 
should  be  furnished  with  a  certificate  from  you,  or  one  of  your 
Sub  Agents,  stating  the  Service  on  which  she  is  employed, 
and  in  order  to  prevent  misconceptions  it  will  be  proper  for 
you  to  communicate  with  the  American  (rovernment  on  the 
sul)ject  of  such  Instructions.  Vessels  hired  for  the  convey- 
ance of  Prisonei-s  must  always  be  supplied  with  a  proper 
(juantity  of  Wnter  at  the  expense  of  the  owner,  and  it  will  be 
adviseable  to  agree  with  the  owners  of  such  Vessels  at  a  cer- 
tain rate  per  day  for  the  Prisoners  victualling. 

Your  sub  Agents  will  be  allowed  after  the  rate  of  five  Shil- 
lings per  day  for  every  day  on  which  any  British  Prisoners 
are  under  their  care. 

We  emdose  for  your  further  information  a  copy  of  a  letter 
from  th(^  Lords  ( commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  by  which  you 
will  perceive  that  no  British  released  Seamen,  not  belonging 
to  His  Majestys  Navy  are  to  be  impressed  until  48  Hours 
shall  have  expired  after  tln.'ir  arrival  at  a  British  Port,  which 
you  are  to  cause  to  be  made  known  to  all  British  Seamen  Avho 
jnay  embark  on  board  Cartels. 

The  printed  copies  of  instructions  to  Agents  for  Prisoners 
of  War  are  sent  to  you  for  your  information  respecting  the 
manner  in  which  I*risoners  of  War  are  treated  by  us,  but  you 
must  be  well  aware  that  no  specific  Instructions  to  Agents 
of  Britisli  I'risoners  in  Enemies  Countries  can  be  prepared  in 
a  similar  manner,  because  the  nature  and  details  of  Instruc- 
tions in  such  cases  must  depend  entirely  upon  the  way  in 
which  such  Prisoiuu's  are  treated  by  the  Government  of  the 


Ml 


i 


i         I- 


324 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Hl^l) 


■ill 


Country  in  which  they  are  detained.  For  this  reason  when 
any  particuhir  point  occurs  to  you  upon  which  you  may  wish 
to  have  our  directions,  it  is  projxT  that  you  should  communi- 
cate it  to  us  from  time  to  time  with  as  little  delay  as  possible, 
and  in  the  mean  time  to  procure  and  follow  the  directions  of 
the  Admiral  or  Fla^  officer,  with  whom  you  are  also  generally 
to  communicate  respecting  the  duties  which  you  are  entrusted 
to  perform  under  this  department. 

We  enclose  for  your  information  a  copy  of  an  order  from 
the  Right  Honorable  tlie  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Ad- 
miralty relative  to  a  proposed  Cartel  for  ^he  exchange  of  Pris- 
oners of  War  between  this  Country  and  the  United  States  of 
America,  together  with  a  project  for  such  Cartel  whic)  Ave 
have  also  transmitted  to  Admiral  The  Right  HonorabL  Sir 
Jolin  Borlase  Warren  and  recpiested  that  he  would  through 
you,  or  any  other  Channel  make  the  necessary  communication 
on  the  Subject  to  the  American  Government. 

You  are  to  transmit  to  us  quarterly  accounts  of  your  ex- 
penses and  to  di'aw  upon  us  from  time  to  time  for  such  Sums 
as  you  may  require  for  carrying  on  the  service  entrusted  to 
you  —  For  yt)ur  further  information  we  annex  a  list  of  our 
several  Agents  in  the  West  Indies  and  America 

We  are 
Sir 
your  most  humble  Servants 

J.  BOWEN 

Jno.  Harness 
j.  boothby 


FROM  THE  TRANSPORT  BOARD. 

{^Secret.) 

Transport  Office, — 

5th  January,  1813. 
Sir, 

In  pursuance  of  Instructions  from  the  Right  Honorable 
the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  we  direct  you  to 


i  iv 


|1813. 

iorable 
lyou  to 


AGENT  FOB  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


325 


proceed  to  Portsmouth,  so  as  to  be  there  before  the  7th  in- 
stant, waiting  on  Admiral  Sir  Richard  Bickerton  immediately 
on  your  Arrival,  who  has  Orders  to  pi'ovide  you  with  a  Pas- 
sage to  your  Destination ;  and  you  are,  for  very  particular 
Reasons,  to  avoid,  if  possible,  making  either  your  Name,  or 
Destination,  known  to  any  other  Person  than  the  Admiral. 

We  are,  &c. 

J.  Bo  WEN 

Jno.  Harness 

W.  BOOTHBY. 


TO   THE  TRANSPORT   BOARD. 


Sirs. 


Washington  City  15'"  April  1813. 


I  have  the  honor  to  infc^rm  you  that  I  arrived  at  New  York 
on  the  first  of  this  month  from  Bermuda,  aiul  at  this  place  on 
the  5"'  Instant,  I  immediately  waited  on  the  Secretary  of  State 
and  delivered  to  him  my  warrant  and  Instructions  from  you 
to  be  laid  before  the  President  of  the  United  States,  in  order 
to  my  being  accredited  as  His  Majesty's  Agent  for  the  relief 
of  British  Prisoners  of  War  and  for  carrying  on  under  your 
directions  a  general  exchange  of  Prisoners. 

The  President  has  been  pleased  to  receive  me  in  that 
character,  and  has  since  appointed  (leneral  John  Mason  of 
George  Town  in  Columbia  Commissary  General  of  Prison- 
ers of  War  throughout  the  United  States  of  Amei'ica;  with 
whom  I  am  directed  to  confer  on  all  points  relating  to  my 
mission. 

General  Mason  and  myself  have  had  three  conferences  and 
have  made  some  progress  in  the  aiTangement  of  a  system  for 
the  future  subsistence  and  clothing  of  Prisoners,  and  their 
accommodations.  Preparations  have  also  commenced  on 
the  part  of  this  government  to  draw  together  tlie  British 
Prisoners  now  in  these  States,  in  order  to  their  being  sent  as 
speedily  as  possible  to  Bermuda  and  the  West  Indies,  and 

21* 


;   ! 


'  'if 


11 


320 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


I 


\kh'  '! 


I  ! 


tho  cartels  which  convey  them  are  to  l)ring  back  a  corre- 
spoii(]iii<,'  number  of  Americans.  The  President  not  having 
ratified  the  provisional  agreement  for  the  exchange  of 
Prisoners  made  at  Halifax  in  Nova  Scotia  on  the  28th  of 
November  last ;  some  small  alterations  have  been  proposed 
by  him,  which  in  my  opinion  are  not  of  moment  to  oppose, 
and  which  I  shall,  with  an  amendment  on  the  part  of  his 
Majesty  conditionally  agree  to,  subject  to  your  and  Sir 
John  l^orlase  Warren's  ratification.  These  when  prepared 
shall  be  forwarded. 

I  have  reason  to  believe,  from  the  assurances  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State,  and  General  Mason,  that  this  (lovernment  is 
desirous  that  every  facility  shall  be  given  to  the  exchange  of 
Prisonei's  of  War,  and  to  their  comfort  while  Prisoners. 

I  enclose  for  your  information  a  copy  of  a  letter  addressed 
to  (leneral  Mason  on  the  subject  of  British  Prisoners  being 
enticed  to  entcn*  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  to  which 
I  have  not  yet  received  an  answer.  I  have  however  his  and 
the  Secretary  of  States  verbal  assurances,  that  if  any  such 
irregularities  have  occurred  at  the  commencement  of  the  War 
they  were  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Government  and  that 
they  shall  not  hereafter  be  permitted. 

Sir  John  B.  Warren  having  coincided  in  opinion  with  me 
that  New  York,  being  a  central  position,  was  best  adapted  for 
my  residence,  I  have  obtained  the  President's  leave  to  reside 
theri!  for  the  present. 

I  learn  with  regret  that  a  difference  in  opinion  exists  be- 
tween Lieut.  General  Sir  George  Prevost,  Governor  General 
and  commanding  His  Majesty's  Forces  in  the  Canadas,  and 
this  Government  on  the  Sul)ject  of  Exchanges  made  last  Au- 
tumn. A  case  on  the  part  of  these  States  is  now  preparing 
for  me,  which  I  shall  transmit  to  Sir  George  Prevost,  and  re- 
(juest  his  answer.  Of  both  these  I  shall  avail  myself  of  the 
earliest  conveyance  to  forward  you  copies,  with  my  remarks 
thereon,  to  enable  you  to  more  readily  to  give  me  your  orders 
on  the  Subject. 

All  letters  coming  to  or  going  from  this  country  are  opened 
and  read  by  persons  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  when 


if  ill  i 


|ik1  ve- 
of  the 
[marks 
I orders 

)pened 
wlien 


AGENT   FOR  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


327 


considered  of  importance  trausmitted  to  the  Secretary  of  State 
at  this  place. 


TO   SIR  JOHN   BORLASE   WARREN. 

{Private  and  confidential.) 

Washinfrtou  U""  April  1813. 
Dear  Sir. 

I  took  occasion  to  observe  to  Mr.  Monroe  my  surprise  that 
tliis  Government  had  not  acceded  to  the  proposal  of  Hear  Ad- 
miral Cockburn,  to  receive  from  him  American  Prisoners  and 
return  British  by  the  same  conveyances.  In  reply  Mi*  .'•^■)nroe 
did  not  acknowledge  the  fact,  but  made  this  remariv,  .iiat  if 
anything  impleasantor  apparently  unreasoT\.ble  had  occurred, 
it  was  wholly  to  be  attributed  to  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Baker  who 
had  been  left  here,  as  pro  tempore  Agent  for  Prisoners  of  War 
by  Mr.  Foster.  That  he  had  given  great  offense,  and  woidd 
have  been  indicted,  had  not  the  President  interfered,  who  was 
averse  to  such  strong  measures  against  a  (Icntlenum,  who  had 
lately  held  the  appointment  of  Secretary  of  Legation,  that  in 
consequence  of  Mr.  Baker's  conduct  he  had  for  some  time  past 
refused  all  communication  with  him.  I  discovered  a  principle 
cause  of  complaint  against  him  was  his  having  after  his  Func- 
tions as  Secretary  of  Legation  ceased,  and  while  he  acted 
merely  as  Agent  for  Prisoners  of  War,  delivered  a  number  of 
Licenses  (to  protect  Cargoes)  left  with  him  by  Mr.  Foster. 
Mr.  Monroe  expressed  his  satisfaction  on  my  arrival,  and 
added  that  I  should  find  every  disposition  on  the  part  of  this 
(jrovernment  to  carry  on  exchanges  on  principles  of  reciprocity 
and  liberality.  In  the  amendments  to  the  provisional  agree- 
ment for  the  exchange  of  Prisoners,  it  will  be  proposed  that  Ber- 
muda is  made  a  depot ;  or  possibly  that  it  should  be  substi- 
tuted in  the  place  of  Bridge  Town  Barbadoes.  To  the  former, 
I  think  you  will  have  no  objection.  I  notice  in  the  American 
papers  that  the  Masters  and  Crews  of  several  vessels  captured 
by  the  Brig  Atalanta  have  been  sent  into  these  States  and, 
from  the  manner  in  which  it  is  stated  apprehend  proper  re- 


r  i 


M' 


328 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


c(!ipts  liave  not  boon  obtained.  It  is  therefore  advisable  until 
I  make  the  necessary  arrangements,  not  to  send  them  on  shore 
in  this  irregular  manner.  I  will  thank  you  to  direct  your  Sec- 
retary to  order  Lieut.  Miller  of  Halifax  to  forward  to  me  cor- 
rect returns  of  all  American  Prisoners  sent  from  Halifax,  and 
copies  of  the  receipts  taken  when  delivered  —  also  returns  of 
all  British  Prisoners  received  from  these  states  in  exchange. 
I  have  reason  to  believe  this  Governtnent  intend  to  put  a  stop 
to  the  present  connnunications  by  Packets,  and  I  informed 
Ml*.  Monroe,  that  I  suspected  that  mode  of  communication  was 
far  from  agreeable  to  you. 


TO   SIR  THOMAS   HARDY.' 


¥:\  , 


i  ! 


Sir. 


Washington  21  April  1813. 


Your  letter  of  the  11th  of  this  month  dated  off  Block  Island, 
I  received  last  evening.  I  arrived  here  from  Bermuda  on  the 
nth  Instant  and  was  much  surprised  to  learn  from  Mr.  Monroe 
the  American  Secretary  of  State  that  the  provisional  agree- 
ment executed  in  November  last  at  Halifax,  had  not  been  rati- 
fied by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  or  measures  taken 
by  this  Government,  with  Mr.  Baker,  to  amend  the  agreement 
and  to  send  it  to  Admiral  Sir  John  Warren  for  his  approval. 
On  expressing  my  surprise  Mr.  Monroe  informed  me,  the  delay 
had  been  occasioned  by  the  improper  C'onduct  of  Mr.  Baker, 
and  with  whom  he  had  declined  having  further  communica- 
tions. I  did  not  think  proper  to  enter  on  the  merits  of  the 
dispute. 

This  Government  received  me  with  politeness  and  have  as- 
sured me  of  every  disposition  on  their  part  to  facilitate  a  gen- 
eral exchange,  and  to  continue  exchanges  on  liberal  and  hu- 
mane principles.  General  John  Mason  has  been  appointed 
Commissary  General  of  Prisoners  of  War,  and  I  am  directed 

1  Nelson's  Captain  Hardy,  the  eommandei'  of  llio  Victory  at  Trafalgar,  and 
who  was  now  in  command  of  the  squadron  blockading  Now  London. 


■u 


AGENT  FOR  BRITISH  PRISONERS 


329 


to  confer  with  him  on  all  matters  relating  to  my  mission  to 
these  States. 

One  of  our  first  objects  has  been  to  amend  the  provisional 
Agreement,  so  as  to  meet  the  convenience  of  the  President, 
and  of  the  Admiral  and  final  ratification  on  the  part  of  His 
Majesty.  It  includes  Land  Forces.  This  day  it  is  to  be  laid 
before  the  President.  Until  he  ratifies  it,  I  cannot  give  you 
any  directions  on  the  siibject  of  receipts  for  Prisoners  whom 
you  may  laud  in  the  United  States.  In  the  meantime  I  beg 
leave  to  recommend  your  continuing  the  mode  you  have  al- 
ready used,  and  obtain  receipts  from  tlie  Chief  Justice  or  some 
other  Magistrate  of  Respectability.  I  doubt  however  the  pro- 
priety of  making  use  of  this  mode  in  the  event  of  your  captur- 
ing any  American  Ship  or  Vessel  of  War ;  in  such  a  case  a 
more  fornuil  exchange  and  delivery  would  be  necessary.  In 
addition  to  my  communicating  with  the  Admiral,  I  shall  take 
the  earliest  means  to  transmit  to  you  the  Agreement  as 
amended. 


'  'ill 


if 


TO   SIR  JOHN   BORLASE   WARREN. 


ive  as- 
a  geu- 

Ind  hu- 
)ointed 

lirected 

,aud 


Sir. 


QeoYge  Town  26th  April  1813. 


In  my  despatch  of  the  14th  current  I  stated  to  you  that  the 
provisional  Agreement  for  the  exchange  of  Prisoners  entered 
into  at  Halifax  by  Mr.  Uiiiacke  and  Lieut.  Miller  on  the  part 
of  his  Majesty  and  Mr.  Michell  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  November  last  had  not  met  the  approba- 
tion of  the  President,  and  that  he  had  directed  General  John 
Mason  the  American  Commissary  General  of  Prisoners  to  con- 
fer with  me  on  the  subject  of  amending  the  provisional  agree- 
ment so  as  to  meet  the  wishes  of  both  parties. 

General  Mason  and  myself  have  therefore  altered  several  of 
the  Articles  and  added  two  to  the  original  number.  They 
have  been  laid  before  the  President  who  is  readv  to  ratifv 
them  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  in  order  that  they  may 


II 


aao 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


be  sent  to  England  for  tlie  necessary  ratification  on  the  part  of 
His  Majesty.  I  informed  this  (Tovernniont,  that  it  was  my 
duty  prior  to  ratification  to  submit  the  agreement  as  amended 
to  your  consideration.  I  now  enclose  it  and  hope  it  will  meet 
your  approbation :  but  should  this  not  be  the  case,  I  will  thank 
you  to  be  distinct  and  full  on  the  Subject  to  which  you  may 
dissent,  or  require  an  amendment,  so  that  I  may  fully  compre- 
hend your  wishes. 

As  tliis  agreement  comprehends  Prisoners  taken  on  Land 
and  Sea  and  extends  to  all  His  Majesty's  Dominions,  your  sig- 
nature of  approval  to  it  becomes  unnecessary,  perhaps  im- 
proper because  in  that  case  it  must  also  be  sent  not  only  to  Lt. 
General  Sir  Ueorge  Prevost  at  Quebec,  but  to  all  other  Com- 
manders in  Chief.  I  therefore  submit  it  to  you  for  your  ap- 
proval, and  when  amended  agreeably  to  what  may  comport 
with  your  Ideas,  the  instrument  will  be  signed  by  General 
Mason  and  myself  and  ratified  by  the  President,  after  which  I 
will  transmit  it  to  the  (Commissioners  for  Transport  and  Pris- 
oners of  War  to  be  by  them  laid  before  His  Royal  Highness 
The  Prince  Regent  for  his  Royal  Pleasure  thereon. 


TO   THE   TRANSPORT  BOARD. 

Hiirlaem  near  New  York 

20"'  May  1813. 
Sirs, 

Referring  you  to  my  letter  of  the  15th  of  April  of  which  a 
duplicate  is  enclosed  I  have  the  Honor  to  enclose  to  you  the 
Agreement  entered  into  between  John  Mason  Esqr.  Commis- 
sary General  of  Prisoners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
and  myself  as  His  Majesty's  Agent  for  Prisoners  of  War.  I 
forward  it  for  your  consideration  and  to  be  laid  before  the 
Lords  of  the  Admiralty  and  the  other  proper  departments  of 
State. 

As  this  Agreement  is  of  a  nature  not  of  sufficient  magnitude 


AGENT  FOR  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


331 


[bicli  a 

lou  the 

)innus- 

States 

'av.    1 

)re  the 

leuts  of 

rnitude 


to  require  the  ratification  of  His  Koyal  Hifjhuess  tlie  Prince 
Repfont  it  was  proi)0.s(Hl  by  tiic  President  of  tlie  United  States 
that  it  should  b(^  ratified  upon  the  i)art  of  the  United  States 
by  tlie  American  Secretary  ot  State  and  on  tlie  part  of  Ilis  Ma- 
jesty by  the  Lords  of  tlie  Admiralty.  A  copy  of  this  aji:ree- 
uKMit  with  the  ratification  by  Mr.  Munroe  the  American  Sec- 
retary of  State  will  be  forwarded  by  him  to  their  Lordships, 
and  if  no  objection  lays  to  the  aji^reement  their  Lordships  will 
be  pleased  to  transmit  a  copy  ratified  l)y  them  to  this  (iovern- 
meni.  It  may  however  be  prudent  to  delay  th(!  ratification 
until  Sir  George  Prevost  communit^ates  to  his  Secretary  of 
State  his  opinion,  to  wliom  I  send  a  copy,  and  I  have  sub- 
mitted it  to  Admiral  Sir  John  Warren  who  approves  thereof. 

I  am  sending  the  British  Prisoners  from  hence  as  fast  as  the 
cartels  arrive;  and  the  instant  I  am  in  possession  of  all  the 
Lists  and  receipts  of  American  Prisoners  delivered  or  sent  to 
America,  I  shall  proceed  to  a  general  exchange. 

On  my  arrival  here  on  the  first  of  Ajjril,  I  was  informed  that 
a  uumb(.'r  of  respectable  British  Subjects,  principally  mer- 
chants, whose  affairs  at  the  declaration  of  war  by  these  states 
compelled  them  to  remain  here,  and  who  continued  in  America 
after  the  six  months  leave  given  them  by  these  States  for  their 
dei)arture,  had  been  ordered  by  this  Government  to  rtunove 
from  the  Sea  Port  Towns,  their  former  residences  and  reside 
on  parole  fortj'^  miles  from  Tide  Water  in  the  interior  of  the 
Country.  Many  of  them  were  desirous  to  return  to  His  Ma- 
jesty's Dominions  and  all  the  others  to  their  former  abodes. 
With  respect  to  the  latter  I  did  not  conceive  myself  entitled 
during  the  War  to  interfere,  but  with  regard  to  tlu?  former,  I 
api>lied  to  the  American  Commissary  General  of  Prisoners, 
and  re(pured  their  delivery  to  me  as  Non-C-ombatants  and  for 
two  Flags  of  Truce  to  carry  them  from  these  States.  During 
the  correspondence  on  this  subject  on  an  application  l)y  the 
American  Commissary  to  the  President  for  instructions,  he  di- 
rected him  to  cease  any  further  communications  with  me  on 
this  subject  and  to  inform  me,  he  was  of  opinion  my  appoint- 
ment did  not  extend  to  this  description  of  Persons :  but  that 
if  I  had  anything  to  communicate  on  the  subject,  I  must  ad- 


m 


n 


1 


I      1 


! 


t  n 


332 


CORItKHPONDENiJK   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


dross  inysolf  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  wouhl  return  me 
ail  answer.  I  tht^efcn'o  wrote  him  a  hitter  whereof  tlie  en- 
closed doeument  is  a  copy :  to  which  I  received  his  answer  a 
copy  whereof  is  also  enclosed. 

You  will  perceive  the  Secretary  of  States  refuses  to  considi^r 
them  Prisoners  of  War,  and  that  he  hints  at  detaining  them  as 
fit  Suhjects  to  be  hereafter  used  for  retaliatory  measures, 
should  this  (Jovernment  think  proper  to  resort  to  them  ;  and 
that  he  denies  my  authority  to  interfere.  On  reverting  to 
your  warrant  of  my  appointment,  I  think  you  will  agree  with 
mo,  that  words  cannot  be  more  appropriate  to  express  my  su- 
perintendance  and  care  of  these  (TontloiiKui :  but  you  will  no- 
tice that  in  my  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  I  do  not  press 
this  point,  but  take  a  stronger  and  more  extensive  ground,  to 
wit  that  every  man  deprived  of  his  Liberty  was  a  Prisoner. — 
My  right  to  act  in  this  instance  being  denied  by  this  Grovern- 
mont,  I  have  returned  Mr.  Monroe,  a  general  answer,  inform- 
ing him  I  had  submitted  the  correspondence  to  my  Tovernment 
for  their  consideration  and  directions,  I  shall  therefore  wait 
your  orders.  It  remains  with  Ilis  Majesty's  (xovernment 
Avhother  they  will  not  treat  the  Citizens  of  the  United  States 
and  in  the  united  Kingdoms  in  a  similar  manner,  and  hold 
them  Prisoners,  to  respond  the  treatment  the  British  Subjects 
now  here  may  receive  from  the  United  States. 

The  President  has  thought  i)roper  for  the  present  not  to  al- 
low mo  to  come  within  less  than  two  miles  of  the  Citj-  of  New 
York,  it  being  considered  a  military  Post.  I  am  not  otherwise 
restricted.  This  limitation  will  not  be  attended  with  incon- 
venience. 

I  have  made  an  exchange  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
American  Sloop  Viper  for  the  officers  and  men  of  His  Majes- 
ty's late  Sloop  Peacock,  and  a  few  officers  and  men  of  other 
British  Ships  to  make  the  exchange  equal,  but  as  the  Peacock's 
men  are  not  yet  embarked,  and  causualties  may  occur,  I  do 
not  send  you  the  exchange  by  the  present  conveyance,  as 
alterations  may  be  necessary,  which  is  provided  for  in  the 
Receipts. 


~  in! 


AGENT   FOR   BRITISH    IMUSONERS 


33;i 


TO   THE   TRANSPORT   ROARD. 


Ir,  I  do 

lice,  as 
liu  the 


liurloni,  New  York,  oth  Juno  1S1,'{. 

Sirs. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  info  n  you  that  I  received  from  this 
(Tovcrnmcnit  repented  assurances  that  it  will  do  all  in  its])0wer, 
to  prevent  British  Prisoners  of  War  being  received  into  the 
American  Naval  or  Land  Service.  These  declarations  I  have 
reasons  to  believi^  are  sinceiv.  I  lament  however  to  add,  that 
the  measures  hitherto  adopted  have  ])roved  ineffectual ;  and 
that  His  Majesty's  Subjects,  Prisoners,  have  since  my  arrival 
in  these  states,  been  taken  into  the  American  service:  and 
Ihat  in  the  case  of  some  men  of  His  Majesty's  late  Sloop  Pea- 
cock, T  applied  to  C<nnmodore  Decatur  but  he  did  not  think 
pi'oper  to  restore  them  at  my  reipiest,  and  although  he  did  not 
defend  the  i)ractice  of  receiving  British  Prisoners  of  War  into 
the  American  Service  in  express  terms  :  he  did  it  equivocally 
by  stating  that  similar  conduct  had  been  used  towards  Ameri- 
can Prisoners  by  the  officers  of  His  Majesty's  Ship  Africa. 

An  unpleasant  occurence  has  taken  place  with  respect  to  an 
arrangement  between  (leneral  Mason  and  myself  with  the  con- 
currence of  Admiral  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren.  The  American 
Government  had  purchased  the  Brig  Analostan  as  a  National 
Cartel,  laying  at  Washington,  subsecpient  to  the  blockade  of 
the  Ch(\sepeak ;  and  was  desirous  to  send  this  Cartel  to  Ja- 
maica for  American  Prisoners,  reported  to  be  in  a  sickly  state. 
I  communicated  this  to  Sir  John  B.  Warren  and  requested  his 
consent  that  the  Cartel  might  leave  the  blockaded  waters  for 
the  above  purpose.  In  reply  the  Admiral  informed  me  he 
woidd  consent  on  Condition  that  this  Government  delivered 
on  board  one  of  His  Majesty's  ships  in  Lynnhaven  Bay  all  the 
British  Prisoners  at  Norfolk  and  in  its  vicinity,  and  he  added 
that  on  this  being  agreed  to  upon  tlie  part  of  the  United  States 
he  would  instantly  deliver  from  on  board  the  Ships  up  the 
Chesepeak  near  300  American  Prisonei'S,  on  their  parole.  This 
was  assented  to  on  the  part  of  this  Government,  and  there  is 
no  disagreement  between  General  Mason  and  myself  on  the 
Terms. 


.134 


CORTIKSPONDENOR  OP  THOMAS  nARCLAY 


,  ■> 


Sir  John  Wnn-oii  a(H!<>r(liu(»:  to  promise  (hdivurod  29(1  Airuu'i- 
(^an  Prisoners  at  Aniuipolis  and  received  the  usual  receipts 
wliicdi  lie  transmitted  to  me. 

I  was  apprehensive  that  notwithstaiidiuf^  General  Mason  in- 
tended to  <'xe(!ute  th(!  Uf^reement  with  j^ood  faith,  still  that 
from  want  of  enerj,'y  in  the  (rovernment,  and  from  nuiny  other 
•uiuses,  the  whole  of  the  British  Prisoners  would  not  be  s«!nt 
by  the  American  Cartel  on  board  His  Majesty's  Ships  of  War 
in  Lynnhaven  Hay.  As  Sir  John  Borlase  Warren  was  at  that 
time  sonu'  hundred  jniles  from  thence,  I  (ujnsidered  it  my  duty 
to  inform  the  officer  commanding  II.  M.  Ships  in  Lyniduivtm 
Bay  to  whom  the  liritish  Prisoners  were  to  be  delivered,  of 
the  round  number  he  was  to  receive  and  added,  that  I  sub- 
mitted to  his  better  Judgement,  whether  in  the  event  of  a 
defalcation  in  the  number  delivered,  it  wonld  not  be  prudent 
to  d(!tain  the  (Cartel.  It  appears  that  little  mort^  than  •'/•''  <»f 
the  British  Prisoners  were  deliv(a'(Hl,  and  no  reasons  assigned 
for  not  delivering  the  remainder,  the  Cartel  has  in  conseiiuence 
been  detained. 

Until  I  can  induce  this  (lovernnient  to  compel  mon^  atten- 
tion to  its  orders  and  business  gets  into  a  regular  Train,  I  beg 
leave  to  recommend,  that  Amei'ican  Prisoners  may  not  ])e  sent 
to  these  States  until  exchanged.  There  are  otluu*  strong  rea- 
sons for  adopting  this  rule.  I  wish  you  would  write  to  the 
several  agents  abroad  to  this  effect,  and  dire(!t  them  not  to 
send  Prisoners,  unless  ordered  by  your  Board,  or  by  Admiral 
Sii'  John  Warren,  or  requested  by  myself. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  an  answer  to  my  letter  of  the 
12th  of  April  addressed  to  the  American  Commiss.ary  of  Pris- 
oners on  the  various  points  contained  in  your  instructions  to 
me,  and  on  which  T  can  only  procure  the  necessary  information 
from  him.  I  have  repeatedly  reminded  him  and  requested  his 
answer  not  only  to  that,  but  to  most  of  my  other  Letters  to 
him.  General  Mason  holds  several  other  public  ai)pointnu'nts, 
which  probably  occasions  these  delays.  In  the  agreement 
which  accompanies  this  you  will  observe  the  allowance  of  food 
or  money  per  day  to  each  Prisoner.  The  British  Prisoners 
have  been  liberally  fed  hitherto  by  the  United  States,  and  the 


AOKNT  POU   mtlTISlI    I'UISONEUH 


386 


Imnmno  iroiiijnent  of  the  Marslmlls  in  oacli  Statu  towards 
tlicin  is  universally  acknowletlf>^o(l. 


I 


»t'  the 
'vis- 
its to 
ition 
(1  his 
rs  to 
ents, 
meat 
food 
ners 
(1  the 


TO    THE  TllANSPOIlT  BOAllD. 

New  York  22n<l  Juuu  1813. 
SlUS. 

After  repeated  a})plieation.s  to  the  American  ('onunissary 
General  of  Prisoners,  I  have  received  his  answer  to  my  letter 
of  the  12th  of  April  respectinj?  <!ertain  jioiiits  on  whioh  by 
your  instructions  of  the  1st  of  Decembor  last  I  was  directed  to 
request  information  from  this  (lovernment  and  to  report  to 
you. 

You  will  perceive  that  the  President  has  not  thought  proper 
to  permit  me  to  visit  all  the  American  Stations  and  Depots 
as  often  as  I  jndfjje  necessary;  on  the  contrary  I  am  only  to 
visit  tli(nn  on  special  occasions,  having  ])reviously  assigned  my 
reasons  and  o])tained  his  permission.  Nor  an;  the  Sulj-Agents, 
from  the  tenor  of  (leneral  Mason's  letter,  t(j  have  leave  to  visit 
any  other  Station  or  Depot  except  the  one  at  or  near  which 
each  of  them  respectively  resides.  I  have  noticed  this  in  my 
reply  of  the  20th  (current  to  General  Mason  a  copy  whereof  is 
also  enclosed.  His  answer  when  received  shall  he  transmitted 
to  y<>a. 

It  is  for  you  Sirs  to  determine  whether  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
strict in  a  similar  manner  the  American  Agents  in  England 
and  other  parts  of  His  Majesty's  Dominions.  Distrust  and 
jealousy  mark  the  conduct  of  the  members  of  the  present 
American  Administration.  This  is  not  without  some  reason. 
It  is  well  known  that  from  Pennsylvania  North  all  the  Gentle- 
men of  respectability  and  prt  perty  are  opposed  to  them  and  to 
their  measures,  and  that  in  every  State,  South  of  the  Delaware 
there  are  many  characters  of  eqnal  property  and  respectability 
who  entertain  the  same  sentiments.  They  are  therefore  un- 
willing that  His  Majesty's  Subjects,  myself  and  the  sub-agents, 
in  particular,  should  have  an  opportnnity  of  communicating 
with  Gentlemen  so  essentially  differing  in  Sentiment  with 


IP 


'  t 


336 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


tl:em.  In  addition  to  which  they  are  apprehensive  a  more 
liberal  indulgence  to  British  Agents  would  give  offence  to 
their  Friends  and  Supporters. 


•'ii'  3 


n 


TO   LORD   CASTLEREAGH.l 

(Private.) 

New  York, 

Sept.  30,  1813. 
My  Lord, 

The  continued  success  of  the  American  Ships  of  War  in  ac- 
tions with  those  of  His  Majesty,  added  to  the  inequality  in  the 
numbers  killed  and  wounded  on  board  the  American  if  we 
compare  with  them  the  numbers  lost  on  board  the  British 
sliips,  and  the  generally  trivial  injury  to  the  bodies  and  rigging 
of  the  former,  contrasted  with  the  damage  received  by  the  lat- 
ter, are  events  respecting  which  your  Lordship  will  natu- 
rally be  desiroiTs  of  a  solution.  A  residence  of  14  years  in  the 
United  States  has  afforded  me  an  opportunity  for  information 
and  I  hope  your  Lordship  will  not  consider  it  impertinent  to 
offer  3'ou  my  sentiments  on  so  important  a  subject. 

I  shall  divide  it  under  three  heads.  The  ships,  officers  and 
men,  and  disciiiUne.  The  American  ships  of  War  are  not  only 
much  larger  than  those  of  His  Majesty  of  the  same  class,  but 
the  materials  contain  more  cubic  feet  and  inches,  hence  they 
are  less  liable  to  injury  from  shot,  and  impenetrable  to  grape : 
When  therefore  ships  of  the  same  (dass  come  in  contact,  the 
American  has  the  advantage. 

In  sailing  if  there  is  a  difference,  it  is  in  favour  of  the  Amer- 
ican ships.  They  are  brave  and  aspiring,  able  seamen,  and 
mananivre  a  few  ships  admirably.  With  respect  to  the  War- 
rant and  Petty  officers  and  men  on  board  the  ships  of  the  re- 
spective nations,  the  superiority  is  greatly  in  favour  of  the 
United  States. 

In  the  American  Navy  at  least  one  half  are  British  Seamen. 
The  remainder  are  subjects  of  Sweden,  Denmark,  Prussia,  &c., 

1  This  letter  was  sent  in  cipher. 


<■ 


I 


AGENT  FOR  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


337 


more 
ce  to 


1813. 

L'  in  ac- 
y  in  the 
I  if  we 
British 
rigging 
the  lat- 
[1  natvi- 
■s  in  the 
rmation 
inent  to 

cers  and 
not  only 

ass,  bnt 
nee  they 
o  grape : 

tact,  the 

10  Anier- 
neu,  and 
he  War- 
3f  the  re- 
ar of  the 

Seamen, 
i^sia,  &c., 


&c.,  and  a  few  Americans.  From  the  great  inflnx  of  seamen, 
the  commanders  of  American  Ships  of  War  have  had  it  in  theii* 
power  to  select  young  well-made  prime  h=eamen.  Those  who 
are  subjects  of  His  Majesty  fight  with  desperation,  most  of 
them  being  deserters.  Thus  manned  the  American  officer  has 
an  evident  superiority  over  the  British  Commander,  whose 
crew  are  the  reverse  of  select,  and  by  far  the  greater  propor- 
tion not  able  seamen.  It  is  a  lamentable  truth  that  our  sea- 
men arc  tired  and  dissatisfied  with  their  success,  "nd  long 
confinement  on  board  ship  in  consequence  of  20  y.  ^ "  war, 
and  I  fear  capture  by  the  Americans  is  not  disagreeable  to 
many  of  them, 

I  forbear  touching  on  the  present  discipline  of  H.  M.  Navy. 
That  it  is  not  what  it  was,  I  appeal  to  every  officer  of  experi- 
ence. The  mutiny  in  the  Fleet  and  other  causes  may  have 
rendered  some  relaxation  necessary  ;  whether  it  has  not  been 
carried  too  far  merits  enquiry. 

The  discipline  which  formerly  prevailed  in  our  Navy  is  now 
practised  in  the  American  service  on  British  seamen  with 
good  effect. 

The  seamen  in  the  American  service  are  practised  for 
hours  at  the  great  guns,  small  arms,  &  in  sham  boarding,  and 
as  the  complement  of  men  is  ^  more  than  in  our  service,  an 
additional  number  of  men  are  appointed  to  serve  as  marines 
in  the  tops :  also  there  are  howitzers  with  men  appointed  to 
them.  From  these,  with  the  musketry  in  the  tops,  and  the 
quarter-deck  well  manned  with  marines,  a  destructive  fire  is 
kept  up  during  an  action.  From  the  before  remarks,  your 
Lordship  will  perceive  that  in  every  particular  officers  ex- 
cepted, the  American  ship  has  the  advantage  over  the  British. 
It  is  an  abuse  of  words  to  call  the  crews  of  the  U.  S.  Ships 
American.  They  are  British  crews  commanded  by  American 
officers. 

The  complement  of  men  on  board  our  largest  frigates  does 
not  exceed  350,  while  the  American  frigates  carry  500 ;  of 
these,  250  are  superlatively  able  and  strong  British  Seamen. 
I  sincerely  believe  the  250  British  on  Board  an  American  ship 
are  an  equal  to  350  of  the  men  who  ordinarily  compose  our 

22 


h 


338 


CORUESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


hhip's  compauy.  It  follows  that  with  the  additiou  of  250  men 
on  board  the  Ainori(!au  ship,  many  of  whom  are  equal  to  the 
British,  victory  must  attend  the  former. 

I  have  omitted  to  inform  your  Lordship  that  the  guns  on 
board  the  American  ships  are  elevated  or  depressed  by  a  scale 
on  the  screw  and  on  the  coign.  When  therefore  the  proper 
elevation  is  ascertained,  in  consequence  of  the  shot  from  any 
particular  gun  having  struck  tlie  enemy,  an  order  is  issued 
and  all  the  other  guns  are  graduated  accordingly. 

What  I  have  submitted  to  yr.  Lp.  is  in  perfect  confidence.  I 
beg  my  name  may  not  be  mentioned. 


FllOM   GENERAL   MASON. 


Sir. 


Office  of  Coiuniissary  General  of  Prisoners 
W",shinj?ton  Oct.  Sth,  1813. 


It  is  intended  to  give  answers  in  this  letter  to  the  letters 
accumulated  from  you  during  the  late  short  absence,  I  made 
from  the  seat  of  Government,  to  which  I  have  not  already  re- 
plied, and  about  which  I  find  you  are  beginning  to  complain. 

I  did  not  fail  to  remark  your  frequent  complaints,  on  the 
same  subject,  last  summer :  I  am  not  conscious  that  I  have  at 
any  time  permitted  a  communication  of  yours  to  remain  unan- 
swered, more  than  a  few  days,  an  early  reply  to  which,  was  a 
matter  of  any  consequence  to  either  Government ;  it  is  very 
true  that  I  often  did  delay  answers  to  those  of  the  very  numer- 
ous letters,  which  you  were  constantly  in  the  habit  of  addres- 
sing to  me,  that  were  considered  of  minor  importance,  from 
the  necessity  of  making  them  occasionally  yield  to  the  more 
essential  avocations,  which  the  vtirious  duties  of  this  office 
dai^y  produce;  and  such.  Sir,  must  inevitably  be  the  case, 
while  it  is  attempted  to  conduct  all  the  business  of  your  Gov- 
ernment, in  connection  with  this  office,  with  which  you  are 
entrusted,  at  the  distance,  at  which  we  are  placed,  through  the 
medium  of  correspondence  only.  During  the  six  months  that 
you,  and  I  have  now  been  in  official  intercourse,  you  have  al- 


fii ,     I 


AGENT  FOR  BRITISH  PRISONERS 


339 


ready  addressed  me  about  one  hundred  and  twentj'-five  public 
letters,  not  unfrequently  two,  or  three,  on  a  day  the  subjects 
of  many  of  which  might  have  been  settled,  by  a  personal  in- 
terview in  a  few  monuuits;  nor  is  this  all;  it  has  several  times 
ha[)pened  and  it  must  often  happen  again,  that  while  with 
every  possible  promptness  in  answering  letters,  it  requires  at 
least  one  week  to  communicate  by  mail  a  business  of  impor- 
tance to  the  two  nations,  demanding  despatch,  must  stand,  un- 
till  a  discussion  takes  place  l)y  letter,  that  will  produce,  pcr- 
haj)s,  the  interchange  of  several  communications.  It  was  ap- 
prehended, when  your  request,  at  the  time  of  your  reception- 
that  your  Residence  should  be  taken  near  New  York,  was  as, 
sented  to,  that  inconvenience  would  be  experienced  from  the 
remoteness,  at  which  you  would  be  located  from  the  Seat  of 
Government ;  from  a  desire  that  you  should  be  accommodated, 
in  your  personal  arrangements,  I  made  myself  no  objection  to 
it;  but  now  that  experience  has  proved  to  me  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  conduct  the  Intercourse  relative  to  Prisoners,  with 
proper  advantage  to  either  Government  (and  more  particu- 
larly as  the  war  advances,  aiul  that  intercourse  will  necessarily 
become  more  complex)  at  the  distance,  at  which  their  agents 
are  now  placed  from  each  other,  I  have  considered  it  incum- 
bent on  me  to  apprise  you  of  my  conviction  on  this  point,  and 
to  recommend  it  to  your  serious  consideration. 

I  have  &G 

J.  Mason. 


:  1 


FROM  THE  TRANSPORT  BOARD. 


Transport  Office, 

nth  November  1813. 

Sir. 

In  reference  to  our  letter  of  the  18th  of  August  last,  in  an- 
swer to  yours  of  the  20th  of  May,  relative  to  the  Cartel  Agree- 
ment entered  into  by  yourself  and  General  Mason,  for  the 
Exchange  of  Prisoners  of  War,  we  now  transmit,  for  your  In- 
formation and  Giiidance,  the  Copies  of  an  Order  of  the  Right 


fill 


340 


CORRiilSPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Honorable  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  dated 
the  30th  of  September  and  of  its  Inclosure  from  Colonel  Buu- 
bury,  signifying  the  Opinion  of  the  Earl  Bathurst,  on  the  sev- 
eral Articles  of  the  said  Cartel  Agreement,  and  desiring  that 
the  same  might  be  ratified  with  the  Alterations  suggested  by 
His  Lordship,  in  consequence  of  our  Observations  thereon,  a 
Copy  of  which  you  will  also  receive  herewith  and  we  direct 
you  ^.o  propose  such  alterations  to  the  American  Government. 
For  your  further  Information,  we  enclose  a  Draft  of  a  Cartel 
which  you  are  to  propose  in  lieu  of  the  one  transmitted  by 
you,  and  we  desire  that  in  any  discussion  which  may  take 
place  on  the  sevei-al  Points  therein,  you  will  condiict  yourself 
in  conformity  to  the  Suggestions  contained  in  Colonel  Bun- 
biu'y's  letter  ubovementioned. 

You  will  observe  that,  in  the  Draft  above  referred  to  no 
Mention  has  been  made  of  the  Ration,  as  no  Alteration  can  be 
made  in  the  Rations  at  present  allowed  to  American  Prisoners 
of  W"ar  either  in  this  country  or  on  Foreign  Stations,  of  which  a 
Statement  was  contained  in  our  Letter  of  the  1st  December  1812. 

With  respect  to  the  subsistence  of  Parole  Prisoners,  we  ac- 
quaint you  that  the  Allowance  to  American  Prisoners  in  this 
Country  has  been  augmented  to  Two  Shillings  Per  Diem  for 
Commissioned  Officers,  and  One  Shilling  and  Six  Pence  per 
Diem  for  all  inferior  Parole  Prisoners,  the  Allowance  to  those 
on  Foreign  Stations  to  remain  as  at  present. 

You  will  also  observe,  that  in  the  Names  of  Places  at  which 
American  Prisoners  are  to  be  stationed  for  Exchange,  Liver- 
pool and  Falmouth  have  been  omitted,  there  being  no  means 
of  accommodating  Prisoners  of  War  at  those  Places ;  and  we 
consider  that  the  Insertion  of  them  in  the  Cartel  Agreement 
entered  into  by  you  arose  from  a  misapprehension  of  our  Let- 
ter of  the  5tli  January  last,  wherein  we  acquainted  you  that 
Liverpool  and  Falmouth  were  Ports  appointed  for  the  Recep- 
tion of  American  Cartels. 

We  are  &c 

Rup'  George 

J.   BOWEN 

Jno.  Harness. 


AGENT   FOR  BRITISH  PRISONERS 
FROM  MR.   MONKOE. 


341 


Sir, 


Department  of  State, 
Dec  28,  18i;}, 


For  reasons  which  every  day  become  more  evident,  the  Pres- 
ident has  determined  that  you  should  reside  near  the  seat  of 
government. 

You  will  be  pleased,  as  soon  after  the  reception  of  this  let- 
ter as  your  convenience  will  permit,  to  take  your  residence  at 
Bladensburg,  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city.  A  passport  to  travel 
thither  is  sent  you. 

Such  regulations  will  be  made,  as  to  your  visits  to  the  office 
of  the  Commissary  General,  or  other  places,  required  by  your 
functions,  as  are  observed  towards  our  agents  in  the  country 
of  the  enemy. 

I  remain  &c 

Jas.  Monroe, 


TO  MR.   MONROE. 


Harlem,  New  York,  4'"  Jan";  1814. 


Sir, 


{Private.) 


I  beg  leave  to  inform  you  the  order  of  the  President  com- 
municated to  me  in  your  official  letter  of  the  28*"  was  not  un- 
expected. General  Mason  having  more  than  once  mentioned  to 
me  that  my  residence  at  this  distance  from  the  seat  of  Gov' 
was  inconvenient  to  him,  as  he  was  obliged  to  devote  a  greater 
part  of  his  time  to  writing,  than  his  other  duties  would  permit, 
and  that  by  my  removal,  +'  "s  inconvenience  would  be  reme- 
died, as  most  of  our  communications  would  be  verbal. 

If  Gen'  Mason's  conclusions  were  correct,  I  would  readily 
have  concurred  with  his  original  proposal  — the  contrary  is 
the  fact,  at  least  as  it  respects  myself.  I  should  hold  myself 
guilty  of  extreme  negligence  in  conducting  the  business  of  the 

00* 


22* 


342 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS    BARCLAY 


office  I  liold  by  verbal  oommunicatioiis  liable  to  different  eon- 
striictioiis,  mistakes  and  want  of  memory. —  Wherever  I  re- 
side, while  I  execute  the  Office  I  hold,  I  shall  feel  bound  to 
make  and  receive  all  official  propositions  and  suggestions  in 
writing — Gen'  Mason  will  therefore  derive  no  additional  con- 
venience from  my  residence  at  Bladensbnrg ;  and  he  was  in 
full  possession  of  my  sentiments,  that  in  the  event  of  my  be- 
ing ordered  to  or  near  Washington,  I  should  apply  to  his 
Majesty's  Ministers  for  leave  to  resign  my  appointment.  From 
my  official  letter  to  you  Sir  of  this  day  you  will  observe  that  I 
have  done  this.     In  April,  I  hope  my  Successor  will  arrive. 

Altho'  I  do  not  consider  myself  entitled  to  re(piest  your  good 
Offices  in  my  favor,  still  I  trust  you  will  have  the  goodness  to 
state  in  the  most  respectful  manner  to  the  President,  what  I 
have  stated  to  yoii  and  to  aid  my  request  with  j^oiu-  personal 
interest  that  I  may  be  permitted  to  remain  in  my  present  sit- 
uation until  a  Successor  arrives. 


FROM   ME.  MONROE. 


I  .J. 


H' 


Department  of  State, 
February  2,  1814. 
Sir, 

In  answer  to  your  solicitation,  under  date  of  the  4th  ultimo, 
for  a  postponement  of  your  removal  from  the  place  of  your 
present  residence,  respecting  Avhich  the  President's  determina- 
tion was  communicated  to  you  from  this  Department  on  the 
28th  of  December  last,  I  have  to  state  to  you,  that  Bladens- 
bnrg is  a  post  town,  affording  an  opportunity  of  daily  com- 
numication  with  other  parts  of  the  United  St'ites ;  and  that 
j'ou  will  be  thereby  enabled  as  promptl.y  to  fulfil  the  appro- 
priate duties  of  your  agency  for  prisoners  in  that  situation,  as 
if  you  were  to  remain  in  the  vicinity  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
The  President  has  always  been  disposed  to  grant  the  most  lib- 
eral indulgences  that  the  conduct  of  individuals  and  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  war  would  justify ;  but  the  British  Govern- 
ment cannot  reasonably  expect  for  its  agents  in  this  country,  a 


:     I' 


AGENT   FOR  BRITISH   PRISONERS 


343 


greater  latitude  of  personal  couvenienee  than  that  which  those 
of  the  United  States  enjoy  in  the  dominions  of  (Ireat  Britain. 
The  rigor  exercised  towards  the  American  Agents  for  prison- 
ers at  Quebec  and  Halifax,  in  particular,  requires  a  corre- 
sponding treatment  of  British  Agents  by  this  government.  I 
am,  therefore,  constrained  to  renew  to  you  the  request  con- 
tained in  my  letter  of  the  28th  of  December,  and  to  refer  you 
to  the  passport  which  accompanied  it. 

I  remain  &c. 

Jas.  Monroe. 


TO   THE  TRANSPORT  BOARD. 

Harlem,  la'"  February  1814. 
Sirs, 

In  December  last  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Monroe,  the 
American  Secretary  of  State,  acquainting  me  that  the  Presi- 
dent had  determined  for  reasons  which  every  day  became 
more  evident,  that  I  should  reside  near  the  Seat  of  Govern- 
ment; and  that  as  soon  as  my  convenience  would  permit  it 
was  directed  by  the  President  that  I  should  remove  to  a  place 
called  Bladensburg  within  iiine  miles  of  the  City  of  Washing- 
ton. In  my  answer,  I  informed  Mr.  Monroe  I  should  obey  the 
order  of  the  President,  but  that  my  removal  to  Bladensburgh 
would  place  it  wholly  out  of  my  power  to  do  my  duty  to  the 
British  Prisoners  of  War,  and  that  under  this  conviction,  I 
should  write  to  you  Gentlemen  and  request  you  to  accept  of 
my  resignation,  and  to  send  out  a  person  to  succeed  me  in  Of- 
fice and  I  submitted  for  the  consideration  of  the  President, 
whether  under  the  circumstance  of  my  having  requested  you 
to  send  out  a  Gentleman  to  succeed  me  in  office,  he  might  not 
leave  me  in  my  present  situation,  where  I  could  execute  the 
duties  of  my  office  for  a  period  not  exceeding  five  months, 
within  which  period,  my  successor  would  arrive.^ 

1  The  letter  to   Monroe  which  is    Transport  Board  on  January  5,  bri'^f- 
here  abstracted  is  the  official  letter    ly,  on  the  subject, 
o^*  Tauuary  4.    Barclay  wrote  to  the 


344 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


i' 


On  the  3"'  of  this  month  I  received  Mr.  Monroe's  reply  in 
which  the  original  order  of  the  President  for  my  removal 
was  repeated,  and  he  informed  me  that  the  restrictions  im- 
posed on  Mr.  Mitchell  the  American  Agent  for  Prisoners  at 
Halifax  Nova  Scotia,  ana  Col.  Gardner  the  American  Agent  at 
v^uobec,  were  in  the  number  of  reasons  which  had  induced  the 
President  to  order  my  removal. 

I  request  you  will  be  pleased  to  appoint  an  Agent  to  suc- 
ceed me  in  the  Office  I  hold  under  you,  and  that  he  may  be 
sent  to  America  with  all  convenient  dispatch.  I  cannot  think 
of  holding  an  Office  when  I  am  placed  in  a  situation  which 
will  prevent  my  performing  the  duties  assigned  me. 

Should  the  negotiations  to  be  carried  on  at  Gottenburg  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  promise  a  peace,  I 
have  no  objection  to  continue  in  Office  until  the  result  is 
known ;  but  should  they  be  broken  off  and  the  war  continued, 
I  entreat  you  will  be  pleased  to  supersede  me.^ 


FROM  THE  TRANSPORT  BOARD. 


Transport  Office 
9'"  June  1814. 
Sir. 

We  have  received  your  letters  of  the  13*''  and  18"'  of  Febru- 
ary last,  and  having  communicated  the  same  to  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  we  have  received  their  Lord- 
ships directions  to  appoint  Mr.  Gilbert  Robertson  to  succeed 
you  as  Agent  for  Prisoners  of  "War  in  the  United  States  of 
America  —  you  will  accordingly  deliver  up  to  Mr.  Gilbert 
Robertson  on  his  arrival,  all  the  Public  Papers  in  your  pos- 
session belonging  to  this  Department,  and  transmit  your  final 
Accounts  to  this  Office,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible. 

We  are  &c 

RuPT,  W.  George 

J.  Douglass 

A.  Boyle. 

1  These  were  the  negotiations  proposed  to  be  undertaken  under  the 
mediation  of  Russia. 


AGENT  FOR  BRITISH  PRISONERS 


345 


FROM   GENERAL   MASON. 


Sir. 


Office  of  Commissary  General  of  Priscmers. 
Washington  August  19,  1814. 


At  the  time  it  was  determined  that  your  residence  should  bo 
nearer  the  Seat  of  Government  than  that  at  Harlem  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  facility  and  ex- 
pedition to  the  Communications  in  which  you  are  engaged 
with  the  Government,  Bladensburg  was  named  because  of  its 
immediate  vicinity. 

In  the  present  state  of  the  war,  considerations  present  them- 
selves diich  will  readily  occur  to  you,  to  make  that  place  or 
any  <  icr  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  waters  occiipied  or 
which  may  probably  be  occupied  by  the  hostile  forces,  no 
longer  a  proper  residence  for  an  Agent  of  the  Enemy.  Troops 
have  already  arrived,  and  a  camp  as  you  will  have  observed,  is 
formirig  at  Bladensburg. 

Under  these  circumstances,  I  am  instructed  by  the  Secretary 
of  State  to  inform  you  it  has  been  determined  that  you  take 
your  residence  at  a  place  in  the  interior  more  remote  from  the 
waters;  that  Hagerstown  in  Maryland  has  been  fixed  on  for 
that  purpose;  and  that  in  consequence  of  the  menacing  move- 
ments of  the  enemy,  you  are  requested  to  remove  with  the 
least  possible  delay  from  Bladensburg  to  that  place,  for  which 
end  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  a  Passport. 

I  have  »&c 

J.  Mason. 


pos- 
final 


TO   GENERAL    MASON. 

Hagers  Town  Washington  County  Maryland 

Sept'  2nd  1S14. 
Sir. 

Mr.  Barton  on  his  arrival  here  the  day  before  yesterday, 
laid  before  me  your  Letter  of  the  28tli  of  last  month  in  which 
you  express  your  astonishment  that  he  still  remained  in  Bla- 


34G 


COURESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


'!)ll'i 


*  I 


1^ 


)    » 


deiisbur}^,  and  iicquaiutod  him  tliat  you  were  instructed  to  re- 
quire liini  to  leave  that  phu;e  for  Ilagers  Town  within  two 
hours  after  the  receipt  of  your  Letter. 

On  Monday  the  22nd  of  Au|^ust  I  had  the  Honor  to  receive 
your  Letter  of  the  IDth  of  that  month  containing  an  order  for 
my  immediate  I'emoval  from  Bhidensburg  to  this  phu!e,  in  am- 
se(iuence  of  vvliich  1  sent  Mr.  Barton  on  the  22nd  of  August  to 
acquaint  you,  and  to  recpiest  you  woukl  supply  me  with  car- 
riages for  the  removal  of  myself  and  office  papers;  at  the 
same  time  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  procure  «  mviyance  for 
my  office  papers  and  baggage  and  a  carriage  for  Mr.  Barton 
and  myself,  my  imiuiries  were  continued  Tuesday  and  Wed- 
nesday morning,  but  without  effect.  At  10  o'clock  on  Wednes- 
day the  24  inst.  a  small  Coachee  was  sent  by  Mr.  Gantt  of 
your  office  with  directions  for  my  immediately  leaving  Bla- 
densburg.  The  vehicle  was  too  small  to  take  even  a  part  of 
my  office  papers,  in  order  therefore  to  comply  as  far  as  lay  in 
my  power  with  the  directions  of  your  Governnunit,  I  stepped 
into  the  Coachee  with  a  small  trunk  and  left  Bladensburg  at 
11  o'clock  for  this  place,  leaving  Mr.  Barton  in  charge  of  the 
papers  and  baggage,  with  directions  to  follow  me  as  soon  as 
possible.  You  must  be  sensible,  Sir,  of  the  importance  of  the 
papers  belonging  to  my  office,  and  I  cannot  entertain  an  Idea, 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  this  Government  or  yourself,  that 
they  should  have  been  left  at  Bladensburg  without  either  Mr. 
Barton  or  myself  to  protect  them.  Such  however  has  been 
the  case  from  your  positive  injunction  to  Mr.  Barton.  It  could 
not,  or  ought  not,  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  this  Govern- 
ment and  yotirself  that  at  the  time  I  was  ordered  to  leave  Bla- 
densburg to  the  day  Mr.  Barton  was  compelled  to  remove 
from  thence,  every  Waggon,  cart  and  other  carriage  were 
either  impressed  into  the  military  service  of  the  United  States 
or  hired  by  Individuals  removing  from  Washington  and 
George  Town,  consequently  compelling  Mr.  Barton  and  my- 
self to  leave  Bladensburg,  was  reducing  us  to  the  necessity  of 
abandoning  the  public  documents  belonging  to  my  office ;  un- 
der these  circumstances,  permit  me  to  say,  it  became  your 
duty  to  have  provided  a  mode  for  conveying  the  office  papers, 


¥) 


IM: 


AGENT  FOR  nRITISII  TRISONERS 


347 


wlu'ii  luysi'lf,  and  Mr.  Barton  afterwards  were  compelled  to 
leave  Bladensburj;.  I  feel  it  luy  duty  to  add  that  I  protest 
afj^ainst  my  having  been  obliged  to  remove  without  my  papers, 
and  in  still  stronger  Terms,  that  Mr.  Barton,  who  I  had  left 
in  charge  of  them,  was  forc^ed  to  leave  them,  unprotected,  in 
compliance  with  your  mandatory  injunction  of  the  28  ulto.  I 
regrcit  that  Mr.  Barton  obeyed  your  ordt^r,  at  the  ristpie  of  the 
loss  of  the  papers ;  and  woidd  rather  at  this  moment  he  was 
placed  in  confinement  for  disobedience  of  orders,  than  to  have 
desert(!d  his  charge,  to  obey  those  orders.  During  the  late 
long  war  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  or  in  any  preceding 
Wars,  I  susjjcct  no  instance  occurred  where  a  j)ublic  civil  olli- 
cer  of  one  of  the  Nations  at  war,  recognized  as  such  by  the 
other  nation  and  residing  within  its  jurisdiction,  was  com- 
pelled to  remove  from  one  place  to  another,  without  his  official 
papers,  or  being  permitted  to  leave  his  Secretary  or  (/lerk  to 
take  charge  of  them.  Should  an  accident  occur  to  the  papers, 
His  Majesty  will  have  just  cause  of  complaint  against  this 
Government. 

If  the  office  papers  do  not  arrive  in  a  day  or  two,  I  shall 
feel  it  my  duty  at  all  hazard  to  send  Mr.  Barton  with  a  Wag- 
gon or  cart  from  hence  for  them,  as  it  would  be  imprudent  to 
entrust  them  to  a  Servant  or  common  carrier. 


FROM   GENERAL   MASON. 


Oiflce  of  Commissary  General  of  Prisoners. 
Washington  Augfust  31st  1814. 
Sir, 

I  am  in  possessioti,  by  the  honourable  conduct  of  a  Gentle- 
man whose  character  you  have  greatly  mistaken,  of  a  letter 
addressed  by  you  on  the  21st  instant  to  Admiral  Sir  Alexander 
Cochrane,  and  which  you  attempted  to  convey  under  seal  (s(!- 
creted  in  the  foot  of  a  stocking)  contrary  to  an  arrangement 
made  with  you  on  principles  of  reciprocity,  and  against  the  in- 
junctions of  this  Government,  as  admitted  by  you  in  your 
note  of  the  same  date,  to  the  Gentleman  you  expected  to  have 
made  the  bearer  of  that  letter. 


■  r 


H  ! 


'l  I 


!    • 


•MH 


COllRKHI'ONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   MARCLAY 


ThoHo  hdve  ])ooii  submitted  to  the  Scicrotary  of  Stiito,  aH 
luivo  b(icu  the  facts,  that  althouj^h  notified  from  this  Oflico 
of  his  iTiiuisition  that  you  slioidd  leavo  Bhideiislxir^,  so  that 
your  n.'tirinf^  wouhl  have  taken  i)hiee  at  h^ast  thr(!(!  (hiys  before 
the  approaeli  of  th(!  Kneniy,  you  did  not  hsave  it  by  as  nuiny  liours 
before  a  battle  was  fought  on  the  spot ;  and  tluit  your  Seeve- 
tary  remained  not  only  in  a  situation  to  eommuni(!at(!  person- 
ally witii  the  OtTi('(^rs  of  the  Army  of  the  Enemy,  but  continued 
there  several  days  after,  and  until  a  peremi)tory  order  ad- 
dressed to  himself,  was  sent  for  his  removal. 

I  am  instructed  to  state  to  you  that  this  course  of  conduct, 
so  incompatilde  with  your  obvious  duty,  aiul  more  especially 
with  the  confidence  bclonj^inj^  to  your  station  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  declare  that  all  correspondence  with  you  on  the  part  of 
the  Crovernment  is  to  cease;  and  that  as  an  alien  enemy  you 
are  required  to  remain  for  th(!  present  at  Ilagerstown. 

I  have  &c 

J.  Mason. 


TO  GENERAL  MASON. 

Hagors  Town,  Maryland  5tb  Septr.  1814. 
Sir. 

Your  letter  of  the  31st  of  August,  informing  me  you  was  in- 
structed to  state  that  all  correspondence  with  me  was  to  cease 
on  the  part  of  this  Government,  I  have  had  the  Honor  to 
receive. 

It  appears  that  three  exceptions  to  my  conduct  are  sug- 
gested as  the  cause  of  the  above  mentioned  determination. 
With  respect  to  the  first,  the  intercepted  Note  from  me  to  Vice 
Admiral  Sir  Alexauder  Cochrane,  found  on  the  person  of  Mr. 
Edward  Calvert,  I  have  only  to  remark  that  the  purport  of  the 
letter  was  perfectly  innocent,  and  related  only  to  the  release  of 
his  overseer  and  a  domestic  made  Prisoners  by  a  detachment 
of  His  Majesty's  Naval  Forces  in  the  Patuxent.  It  is  true  I 
did  reconnnend  Mr.  Calvert  to  conceal  the  Letter,  not  from  an 
unwillingness  that  it  should  be  examined,  but  to  prevent  delay 
in  his  application,  and  from  an  apprehension  the  Prisoners 


AGENT   FOR    RRITISII    PRISONERS 


.•}49 


would  in  a  day  or  two  ho  wMit  to  TFalifax.  It  is  with  surprise 
I  now  learn,  tliis  act  of  mine,  wliieli  was  intcuided  toaeconiiuo- 
dttte  a  (Mtizen  of  these  States,  is  considered  (exceptionable  by 
your  (loveriinient. 

Witli  regard  to  the  tw'>  otlier  exceptions,  I  beg'  leave  to  re- 
fer you  to  my  Letter  of  t  ;  2d  Instant,  which  I  trust  contains 
a  full  'inswer;  in  which  I  consider  myself,  with  just  cause,  the 
person  aj^^rieved. 

In  conseciuence  of  the  determination  of  this  Government,  I 
now  enclose  a  Letter  to  Mr.  Monroe  the  Secretary  of  State,  re- 
(piestinf?  him  to  furnish  me  with  usual  Passports  for  myself, 
Clerk,  and  Family,  lie  pleased  to  deliver  it,  and  obtain  an 
answer  as  early  as  convenient. 

FROM    GENERA!.  MASON. 


Sir 


Office  of  Commissary  General  of  Prisoners. 
Washington  Sept'  IG  1814. 


I  have  received  your  letters  of  the  2'',  5"'  and  12"'  of  Septem- 
ber, The  letter  for  the  Secretary  of  State  covered  by  yours  of 
the  t)"'  Sept'',  has  been  sent  to  him,  accompanied  by  such  a  state- 
ment from  this  office,  as  the  case  required. 

I  am  instructed  by  the  Secretary  of  State  to  inform  you,  that 
a  Cartel  Ship  owned  by  Mr.  Astor  of  New  York,  is  now  adver- 
tised by  the  permission  of  the  Government,  to  go  to  Europe ; 
that  she  will  land  passengers  in  the  British  Channel ;  that  she 
will  sail  from  New  York  in  fifteen  days  from  this  time,  and 
that  if  you  think  proper  to  avail  yourself  of  this  opportunity 
to  return  to  England,  passports  will  be  sent  you  for  yourself 
and  family  to  embark  from  Amboy  in  Jersey,  and  to  go  on 
board  Ship  in  the  outer  harbour  of  New  York,  and  an  Officer 
will  be  sent  to  accompany  you  from  Hagerstown  to  Amboy ; 
that  on  account  of  the  military  works  now  prosecuting  at 
Harlem,  permission  cannot  be  granted  you  to  go  to  that  place, 
nor  can  any  excursions  from  Hagerstown  be  permitted,  previ- 
ous to  your  departure  from  that  place  for  embarkation ;  that 
Mr.  Barton,  your  Secretary,  will  be  permitted  to  remain  there 


'I 

'11 


if 


iMi 

:ti 

'■H  ' 

ici 

nn ' 

1 

HI 

1 

tiill 

1 

Kn  » 

^   K 

tt'l'  r  Mf 

1  ^M 

Wff  h'  A 

\   W 

fcsf,    ' 

1 

m 

1 

m 

Ml 

350 


CORRESPONDENCE   OF  THOMAS   BARCTiAY 


i  tlie  present,  in  chiirg'o  of  your  papers,  and  may  correspond, 
throiif*'!!  this  ()tti(;e,  with  your  Sub-ag(Mits,  and  when  lie  sliall 
reqnire  it,  if  no  reasons,  personal  to  him,  in  the  mean  time 
occur  af.':ainst  it,  he  will  have  a  passport,  and  permission  to 


I'eturn  to  Enj^land. 


I  have  etc. 


J.  Mason. 


FROM   GENERAL   MASON. 


Sir 


Office  of  Commissary  Genoral  of  Prisoners. 
wiisliiiiKton  Sept'  23"'  1814. 


This  letter  will  be  handed  you  l)y  Col:'  (rardner,  the  OfHcer 
who  has  beeu  designated  to  aecompauy  you,  in  a  route  pre- 
scribed to  him,  to  Amboy  in  Jersey,  and  to  remain  with  you 
until  your  embarkation.  Your  passport  will  be  sent  to  you, 
to  meet  you  at  Amboy.  You  will  be  pleased  to  name,  to  me, 
the  persons  of  your  Family,  whom  you  wish  to  embark  willi 
you.  and  to  be  inserted  in  your  passport. 

I  Jim  instructed  to  inform  you,  that  it  is  expected  you  will 
come  under  an  engagement,  to  this  Government,  not  to  leave 
the  shi]).  in  which  you  will  sail,  until  }  on  ai-rive  on  the  coast 
of  England ;  tha.t  you  will  not  be  the  Bearer  of  any  letters  oi* 
packets,  wOiich  iiavc  not  been  submitted  for  examination,  and 
that  while  Col"  Gardner  is  with  you,  all  letters  which  you  niry 
write,  or  recei^'e,  except  those  to,  or  fj'om,  your  family,  shall 
be  inspected  by  him. 

As  the  information  to  you  may  l)e  useful  to  the  service  of 
your  Government,  in  the  disposition  of  your  Official  Papers,  I 
am  autluu'ized  to  inform  you,  that  if  the  Mr.  Ro))ertson,  whom 
you  mention  in  your  letter  of  tiie  5"'  of  Sepf  to  the  Secretary  of 
State,  as  having  been  ai)pointed  your  successor,  is  the  Mr.  Gil- 
bert Robertson,  lately  residing  in  the  State  of  New  York,  he 
will  not  be  received  or  permitted  to  land.  It  must  be  pre- 
sumed, if  this  is  the  person,  that  this  British  Government  was 
not  apprized  of  his  conduct  here,  and  of  the  circumstances, 
under  which  he  left  the  Country. 

I  shall  notify  this  determination  to  Admiral  Cochrane,  and 


I 


AOENT   FOR   BRITISH   PRISONERS 


351 


inform  liiin,  that  if  he  is  di.sposed  to  send  nn  A^oiit  for  Pris- 
oners to  reside  here,  until  his  govi^rnnient  has  au  oi)i)ortunity 
of  making  a  more  permaueut  appoiutmeut,  he  shall  he  received 
and  respected. 

I  have  etc. 

J.  Mason. 


and 


TO  GENERAL   MASON. 

Ilagers  Town  Mnryliiml  'iO'"  Sept'.  IS  14. 
Sir 

Your  letter  of  the  2'^"^  Instant  Avas  delivered  to  me  last  (!Von- 
iug  by  ('Ol.  (Jardner,  who  will  acquaint  you  of  the  delay  he  has 
experienced  on  tlie  road  ])y  which  my  departure  will  l»(Mlelayed 
three  days.  I  sluill  certainly  not  leave  the  8hip  on  which  I  de- 
part from  the  Port  of  New  York  until  my  arrival  in  Enj,daiid, 
unless  by  sonu^  accident  she  become  unsafe.  I  do  not  think  I 
shall  1)(^  tlu^  Bearer  of  any  letter,  but  should  1  take  charge  of 
some,  I  will  lay  then)  before  Col.  Oardner  for  his  inspectioii. 
Mr.  Gilbert  Rol)ertson  who  is  appointed  to  succeed  mo,  is  the 
Gentlenum  who  lately  resided  in  these  States ;  and  who  un- 
questionably had  a  right  to  leave  them,  he  not  being  under  any 
l)arole  or  other  promise  to  the  contrary.  I  have  to  re(iuest  you 
will  be  pleased  to  transmit  the  enclosed  letter  to  Vice  Admiral 
The  Honorable  Sir  AU-xander  C'oclu-ane;  and  you  will  oblige 
me  by  ac(piaintiiig  him,  with  the  determination  of  your  (Jov- 
ernment,  whether  it  will  receive  Mr.  George  Barton  as  Agent 
for  Prisoners,  ad  interim,  should  the  Admiral  wish  to  appoint 
him. — 

At  the  foot  hereof  are  the  names  of  my  family  to  be  included 
in  the  passport. 

Mrs.  Barclay. 
Miss  Barclay. 
Mr.  Anthony  Barclay. 
John  McDonald,  Servant. 

Mrs.  Barclay's  Maid  Servant,  luune  not  known,  as  she  is  en- 
deavoring to  procure  one  who  is  accustomed  to  the  Sea. 


M 


m 


¥im 


352 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


TO   VICE-ADMIRAL   SIR  ALEXANDER  COCHRANE. 


\    I! 


i 


Hagers  Town  Maryland  20""  Soptomber  181" . 
Sir, 

I  have  the  Honor  to  enclose  herewith  the  copy  of  a  letter  re- 
ceived from  the  American  C'ommissary  (leneral  of  Prisoners 
of  War,  from  which  yon  will  perceive  that  it  is  tlie  determina- 
tion yf  this  Government,  on  the  arrival  of  Mr.  (lilhert  Robert- 
son, off  any  of  the  American  Ports  [not]  to  permit  him  to  land, 
or  to  accredit  him,  as  His  Majesty's  Agent  for  the  Relief  of 
Britisli  Subjects  detained  in  the  United  States  and  for  carry- 
ing of  exchanges  of  prisonei-s.  Tliat  if  j^ou  are  disposed  to 
send  an  Agent  for  Prisoners  to  reside  in  these  States,  nntil 
His  Majesty's  Government  has  an  opportunity  of  making  a 
more  permanent  appointment,  lie  will  be  received  and  respected. 

I  beg  leave  to  acquaint  you,  that  I  leave  Mr.  George  Barton, 
my  Clerk,  here  to  settle  the  present  Quarterly  accounts  to  the 
30  of  this  month.  Mr.  Barton  was  to  have  followed  me  to 
England  the  moment  this  business  wa?  '<)mpleted  :  if  however 
he  can  be  of  service,  he  will  remain  in  these  States,  until  an 
Agent  is  sent  out  by  the  Commissioners  of  Transports,  but  no 
longer.  I  mention  this,  that  you  may  avail  yourself  of  his 
services  in  the  event  of  your  wishing  to  appoint  an  Agent  and 
being  at  a  loss  for  a  character  competent  to  the  Duties.  Mr. 
Barton  has  been  in  my  office  upwards  of  a  year,  and  is  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  routine  of  Business.  He  is  a  Gen- 
tleman of  most  respectable  Connections  in  England  and  in  my 
opinion  every  way  trust  wortliy.  You  will  be  i)leased  to  recollect 
that  Mr.  Barton  has  no  wish  to  be  appointed ;  but  will  act  to  ac- 
commodate the  Service  nntil  a  successor  arrives.  His  allow- 
ances will  of  course  be  similar  to  those  I  have  received.  Be 
pleased  to  acquaint  him  with  your  determination,  and  should 
you  desire  him  to  act,  as  my  Successor,  it  will  be  proper  to 
send  him  a  commission  or  warrant  i.jr  the  purpose.  I  leave 
this  to-morrow  for  Perth  Amboy  (there  being  no  conveyance 
this  day)  and  shall  immediately'  embark  on  board  the  American 
Ship  Fin  gal  for  England. 


\ 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


1 


THE  third  article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  provided 
that  all  i)risoiiers  of  war  taken  on  either  side,  as 
well  by  land  as  by  sea,  should  be  restored  as  soon  as 
practicable  after  the  ratification  of  the  treaty ;  and  that 
each  of  the  two  contracting  parties  should  discharge  in 
specie  the  advances  made  by  the  other  for  the  suste- 
nance and  ma'  itenance  of  such  prisoners.  The  making 
up  and  verification  of  the  accounts  under  this  article 
no  doubt  proved  a  troublesome  business,  and  Barclay, 
who  was  now  in  London  at  No.  12  Tavistock  Square, 
and  later  at  G4  South  Molton  Street,  must  have  had 
abundant  occupation  in  consequence  all  through  the 
famous  cold  winter  of  1815. 

But  more  important  duties  were  to  be  devolved  uj)on 
him  under  the  succeeding  articles,  which  related  to  the 
ever  vexatious  question  of  the  Canadian  boundary. 
The  commission  under  Jay's  treaty  had  done  no  more 
than  fix  the  starting-point ;  and,  except  ^he  line  of  the 
River  St.  Croix,  not  another  foot  of  the  boundary  had 
been  ascertained  in  the  thirty-one  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  the  treaty  of  1783.  Rufus  King  in  1803 
had  indeed  succeeded  in  negotiating  a  convention 
which  defined  the  boundarj^  through  the  several  islands 
of  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  and  provided  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  commission  to  run  the  remainder  of  the  line ; 

23  8S3 


I 


s 


:r.il  11 


ii 


354 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


but  the  convention  failed  of  ratification,  owing  to  a 
doubt  as  to  the  effect  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  might 
have  upon  the  l)oundary  near  its  western  end.' 

Monroe  and  Pinkney  in  1807  liad  also  labored  to  ad- 
just the  terms  of  a  boundary  convention,  which  was  to 
follow  closely  King's  treaty  of  1803 ;  but  this  Inisiness 
was  broken  off  by  the  fall  of  the  Whig  government  af- 
ter Mr.  Fox's  death,  and  the  accession  of  the  Duke  of 
Portland's  adminis tration." 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  negotiations  at 
Ghent,  the  settlement  of  the  boundary  question  had 
been  kept  in  view.  The  British  commissioners  had 
tried,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  discussion,  to  obtain 
something  more  than  a  mere  tracing  of  the  lines  laid 
down  in  the  treaty  of  1783,  and  to  gain  some  accession 
of  territory.  They  desired,  especially,  to  "revise"  the 
frontier  so  as  to  secure  a  direct  comnnmication  between 
Quebec  and  Halifax.''  This  demand  was,  however, 
withdrawn,  and  the  negotiation  proceeded  on  the  basis 
of  the  stains  quo  ante  helium.  On  November  10,  1814, 
the  American  commissioners  presented  the  draft  of  a 
treaty  in  which  five  articles  were  devoted  to  a  plan  for 
the  complete  ascertainment  of  the  boundary  from  East- 
port  to  the  Lake  of  the  \Voods,  which  lies  in  the 
western  half  of  the  present  State  of  Minnesota;  and 
with  comparatively  trifling  modifications  their  draft  of 
these  five  articles  was  adopted. 

A  single  question  relating  to  the  boundaries  was  a 
cause  of  much  hesitation  and  dilRcultv.  The  British 
had  seized  Eastport  during  the  war,  and  they  declined 

1  Araer.  State  Papers,  For.  Rel.,  3  Note  of  British  comraissioners, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  584-591.  Aii<nist  19, 1814;  Amer.  State  Papers, 

2  Amer.  State  Papers,  For.  Kel.,  Rel.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  710. 
Vol.  Ill,  pp.  1G2-1G5. 


THE   NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


a 


to  restore  Moose  Island,  on  wliieli  it  stands  —  althongli 
their  title  was  in  dispute.  It  was  finally  agreed  that 
both  parties  should  at  once  restore  all  territory  taken 
during  the  war,  except  the  islands  in  the  Bay  of  Pas- 
sainaquoddy;  but  that  the  retention  of  these  islands 
by  the  British  should  not  affect  the  rights  of  either 
party. 

In  the  treaty  as  actually  signed.  Articles  IV.,  V., 
VI.,  VII.,  and  VIII.  related  to  the  boundaries.  By  the 
fourth  article  two  commissioners  were  to  be  appointed — 
one  by  each  nation  —  to  decide  upon  the  title  to  Grand 
Menan  and  the  islands  of  Passamaquoddy  Bay; 
and,  in  case  of  a  disagreement,  the  question  was  to  be 
referred  to  the  decision  of  some  friendly  sovereign. 
By  the  fifth  article  a  similar  board  was  to  determine 
the  line  from  the  source  of  the  St.  Croix  round  the 
northern  frontiers  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont, 
and  New- York  to  the  x)oint  where  the  boundary  reached 
the  St.  Lawrence.  A  third  board  was  to  be  appointed 
under  the  sixth  article  to  ascertain  the  boundary  west- 
ward from  the  point  where  the  commissioners  under 
the  fifth  article  left  it,  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  through 
the  Thousand  Islands,  through  Lake  Ontario,  the  Ni- 
agara River,  Lake  Erie,  the  Detroit  liiver,  the  Lake 
and  River  of  St.  Clair,  and  so  through  Lake  Huron 
and  on  to  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  And  finally,  by  the 
seventh  article,  the  same  commissioners  were  further 
to  trace  the  line  through  Lake  Superior  and  on  to 
the  Lake  of  the  Woo<ls.  The  eighth  article  prescribed 
general  regulations  affecting  all  the  boards  of  com- 
missioners. 

The  British  Government  selected  its  representatives 
without  much  delay.  Thomas  Barclay  was  appointed 
His  Majesty's  Commissioner  under  the  fourth  and  fifth 


■  t 


••!l 


'  Rl 


35G 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOJIAS   BARCLAY 


articles;  John  Ogilvy,  of  Montreal,  was  appointed 
Commissioner  under  Articles  VI.  and  VII.' 

Barclay's  appointment  was  announced  to  liim  by 
Lord  Castlereagh  June  25,  1815,  while  London  streets 
were  still  echoing  to  the  shouts  that  greeted  the  news 
from  Waterloo.  To  Barclay  himself  the  tidings  of  that 
momentous  event  had  brought  mingled  emotions.  His 
own  son  had  passed  unhurt  through  the  varying  for- 
tunes of  the  day;  but  his  sister's  son.  Sir  William 
Howe  Do  Lancey,  Wellington's  chief  of  staff,  had  fallen, 
mortally  wounded,  at  the  commander's  side." 

Three  weeks  later  Barclay  sailed  once  more  for  Amer- 
ica, landing  at  Boston.  He  reached  New- York  Au- 
gust 29,  1815,  and  at  once  resumed  the  duties  of  the 
Consul-General's  office,  pending  the  arrival  of  his  new 
commission.  That  instrument  bears  date  September  4, 
1815,  although,  for  some  quite  unaccountable  reason,  it 
did  not  reach  New-York  till  eleven  months  later. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  President  of  the  United  States 
had  appointed  the  American  commissioners  —  John 
Holmes,  of  Maine,''  under  the  fourth  article ;  Cornelius 


■h     i\ 


1  Mr.  Ogilvy  fell  a  victim  to  the 
dangers  incident  to  his  employment. 
He  died  at  Amherstburgh,  near  De- 
troit, on  September  28,  1819,  of  a 
bilious  fever  contracted  among  the 
marshes  of  the  St.  Clair.  Ho  was 
succeeded  as  Commissioner  under 
the  sixth  and  seventh  articles  by 
Anthony  Barclay,  Thomas  Barclay's 
youngest  son. 

2  See  Ropes's  Waterloo  Campaign. 
De  Lancey  had  married  Captain  Ba- 
sil Hall's  sister  only  two  months  be- 
fore —  and  hence  the  allusion  in  Sir 
Walter  Scott's  dull  lines  ou  The 
Field  of  Waterloo : 


Tliou  eaw'st  in  sons  of  gore  expire 
Kcdoubtcd  ricton's  soul  of  fire  — 
Do  Limcpy  oiiruiKc  Love".'  bi'iiliil  wreath 
For  laurels  from  the  band  of  UeatU. 

An  account  of  Do  Lancey's  death, 
in  the  Duke's  own  words,  will  bo 
found  in  Samuel  Rogers's  Recollec- 
tions. 

3  John  Holmes  was  born  at  Kings- 
ton, Mass.,  in  March,  1773;  gradu- 
ated at  Brown  University  in  1796; 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1799 ; 
and  settled  at  Alfred,  the  county 
town  of  York  County,  Maine.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature  for  some  years,  and  was 


'M 


1 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


357 


P.  V.T)  Ness,  of  Vermont,'  under  the  fifth  article;  and 
Peter  B.  Porter,  of  New- York,"  under  the  sixth  and 
seventh  articles. 

Barclay's  commission  had  no  sooner  arrived  than  ho 
set  about  the  business  with  which  he  was  intrusted. 
The  American  commissioners  under  the  fourth  and 
fifth  articles  were  notified,  and  meetings  were  held  at 
St.  Andrews,  New  Brunswick,  the  place  specified  in  the 
treaty,  on  September  23, 181G. 

Afi'airs  under  the  fourth  article  progressed  rapidly. 
The  sole  question,  as  we  have  seen,  related  to  the  title 
to  the  Island  of  Grand  Menan  and  the  islands  in  the 
Bay  of  Pussamaquoddy  —  all  of  which  lie  far  to  the 
southward  of  the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  Croix. 

Coming  from  tlie  westward,  every  vessel  bound  up 
the  Ba)''  of  Fundy  follows  along  the  picturesque  coast 
of  Maine  and  passes  through  the  deep  and  secure  chan- 
nel of  which  Grand  Menan  f  ">rnis  the  eastern  and  south- 
ern side.  The  bold  and  rugged  cliffs  of  the  island  ex- 
tend for  twenty-two  miles  ^J[    v^jiIj  the  American  shore. 


elected  to  Congress,  cas  we  shall  see, 
in  1817.  When  Maine  was  admitted 
as  a  State,  in  1820,  he  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  and  served  ob- 
scurely until  1833.  He  was  after- 
ward U.  S.  Distri  A-ttornoy,  and 
died  in  1843.  Ar.  xtended  sketch 
of  his  life  will  be  _ound  in  Willis's 
"Law,  the  Courts,  and  Lawyers  in 
Maine." 

1  Cornelius  Peter  Van  Ness  was 
born  at  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  January 
26,  1782,  and  was  only  thirty-four 
yearsoldwhenappointedontheboun- 
dary commission.  Hewasapersistent 
office-holder.  He  had  been  already 
U.  S.  District-Attorney  for  Ver- 
23* 


mont,  and  was  subsequently  Col- 
lector of  the  Port  of  Burlington, 
Chief  Justice  of  Vermont,  Governor 
of  tliat  State,  U.  S.  Minister  to  Spain 
imdor  both  of  Jackson's  administra- 
tions, and  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New-York  under  Tyler.  Ho  died  in 
Philadelphia  December  15,  1852. 

2  Peter  Buel  Porter  was  the  foun- 
der of  the  well-known  family  who 
owned  so  much  of  the  land  about 
Niagara  Falls.  He  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  was  for  two  terms  a 
member  of  Congress,  and  served 
with  some  credit  in  the  War  of  1812. 
He  was  active  in  promoting  the  Erie 
Canal,  and  died  in  1844. 


,*,.,    /•/*,   V^j -.'/■/'  A  ":*  .  ^«»/";7   ^ 


of  UiftftuinaquoiWy  Hay 


rVf  ■■•■ 


*#  M»0%i^  Arm  Jj^^vt^  • 


\  'i 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


359 


,J'urr,y . 


terminating  in  a  lofty  headland  just  in  front  of  that 
difficult  entrance  into  Passanuuiuoddy  Bay  which  is 
known  as  the  West  Passage,  or  Lubec  Narrows.  The 
southern  shore  of  this  entrance  is  formed  by  the  main- 
land ;  the  northern  shore  by  the  romantic  island  of 
Campobello — now  chiefly  known  as  the  site  of  a  couple 
of  summer  hotels.  Across  the  pretty  bay  lies  Eastport, 
famous  for  its  fisheries;  and  further  north  are  Deer 
Island  and  the  smaller  rocky  islets  of  Passamaquoddy. 
By  their  position  and  means  of  communication  with 
the  mainland,  these  islands  are  all  naturally  within  the 
territory  of  the  United  States ;  but  the  controversy  in 
1816  did  not  at  all  relate  to  what  ought  to  be  their  own- 
ership. The  dispute  was  the  purely  legal  one  whether 
these  islands,  or  any  of  them,  came  within  the  excep- 
tion mentioned  in  the  second  article  of  the  treaty  of 
1783.  By  that  article  all  islands  along  the  coast,  south 
of  the  River  St.  Croix,  were  to  belong  to  the  United 
States,  "  excepting  such  islands  as  now  are,  or  heretofore 
have  been,  ivithin  the  limits  of  the  said  prooince  of  Nova 
Scotia^  The  inquiry  turned,  therefore,  upon  a  histor- 
ical examination  of  the  ancient  charters  of  Nova  Scotia 
and  Massachusetts  Bay ;  and  upon  this  point  interest- 
^ng  arguments  were  submitted  to  the  Commissioners 
by  the  respective  agents.  Ward  Chipman  —  who  had 
served  in  a  similar  capacity  in  1796  —  appeared  on  the 
British  side ;  James  T.  Austin  on  the  American.^  The 
board  met  at  Boston  in  June,  1817,  to  hear  argument, 
and  adjourned  until  September  to  allow  the  prepara- 
tion of  replies.     A  long  debate  ensued,  but  on  October 


' 


1 1/ 

1:1 


I  '■ 


1  James  T.  Austin  was  born    in  was  Attorney-General  of  Massaehu- 

Boston  January  7,  1784;  married  a  setts  from  1832  to  1843;  and  died 

daughter  of  Elbi'idge  Gerry ;  became  May  8,  1870. 
a  leader  of  the  Massachusetts  Bar ; 


■'iJlfA 


3G0 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


':t  ' 


Si 


11 


•'I      ' 


9th  a  final  conclusion  was  reached,  under  which  Doer 
Island,  Campohcllo,  and  Grand  Monan  wore  awarded 
to  Great  Britain,  and  Mooso  Island  (Eastport)  and  two 
smaller  islands  to  the  United  States.  Tlie  formal 
award,  onj]frossed  on  parchment,  was  executed  at  New- 
York  on  November  24, 1817. 

Far  less  satisfactory  was  the  fate  of  the  inquiry  under 
the  fifth  article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent.  The  boundary 
had  been  defined  in  the  treaty  of  1783  as  runniuji;  due 
north  from  the  source  of  the  St.  Croix  to  the  northwest 
angle  of  Nova  Scotia,  at  "  the  highlands  which  divide 
those  rivers  that  empty  themselves  into  the  River  St. 
Lawrence,  from  those  which  fall  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  " ;  thence  along  the  "  highlands  "  to  the  "  north- 
westernmost  head  of  the  Connecticut  River";  thence 
down  that  river  to  the  forty-fifth  i)arallel  of  latitude ; 
and  thence  due  west  to  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  so  up 
the  St.  Lawrence  and  through  the  lakes. 

From  the  very  first  Barclay  doubted  whether  it  would 
be  possible  to  come  to  any  agreement  as  to  the  two  im- 
portant points, —  the  northwest  angle  of  Nova  Scotia 
and  the  head  of  the  Connecticut, —  although  the  British 
Foreign  Office,  in  cheerful  ignorance  of  all  the  facts,  re- 
garded it  as  a  "  mere  operation  of  survey."  Barclay 
was  right.  The  question  remained  unsettled  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  and  when  it  was  finally  compromised  by 
the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty,  in  1842,  the  conduct 
of  each  of  the  negotiators  was  vehemently  denounced 
by  his  own  countrymen  as  a  surrender. 

Barclay  not  only  knew  the  facte  of  the  case,  so  far  as 
anybody  knew  them  in  that  day,  but  he  was  also  deeply 
conscious  of  the  delicate  position  in  which  he  was 
placed.  He  was  a  native  of  New- York,  he  had  married 
his  wife  in  New- York,  his  family  '    d  their  home  there. 


SW  ! 


r 


i 


A, 


%. 


^^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


y 


<? 


/ 


O 


{•/ 


/7///': 


'C<? 


A? 


-^    MP. 


C?. 


^ 


^< 


f/j 


(/. 


1.0 


I.I 


liii 

11136 


M    llli^ 

1.8 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

M 6"     — 

► 

■ 


V] 


^ 


7a 


'a 


c". 


e}. 


'<W 


<9 


o 


^;. 


/ 


/<« 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14580 

(716)  872-4503 


Cp, 


7? 


s\9        Longitude 


1        I 


'I   I 


,■    'i 


Ji^apoftlw 

Northern  Part 

<-  ctvfthe Si-' 
and  uf  the  adjacent 

British  ^Proytj^es, 

iSlivwing  tfiefjortion  of  that  Stat  el 
■^-i^^^to  yrhicti., <■'■%}'  , 

Grlat  Britain  lays  claim./ 

Rediued  from  llw  official  Map  A 
JSM'ith  corrections'  from  the  latest 


T/ieOieen  color  denctestfieBound 
ar^  Line  as  claimed  by  cheU  3       

rtie  Red  cot  or  denotes  tht.      ^^fe 
BwU'uta  ryLim  cut  clainieU 
by  Oreax  Britain 

Tfit  Yellow  colored 
;s  rhat  of  the  Arbiter 


Longitude  CjB         Wejt     of    6\7     OreetiivLch      filfc' 


kt 


i 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


361 


his  sons  were  New- York  merchants,  his  daughters  had 
married  Livingstons  and  Stuyvesants,  and  he  was  a 
cousin  of  half  the  people  in  the  place.  Nova  Scotia 
and  Canada  were  sensitive  on  the  subject,  and  if  Lord 
Ashburton  was  attacked  and  discredited  because  he  had 
married  an  American  wife,  we  may  guess  what  sort  of 
a  storm  would  have  been  raised  if  Barclay  had  j  ieided 
to  American  demands.  Far  more  stubbornly,  proba- 
bly, than  any  native  Englishman,  Barclay  stood  firm 
for  the  extremest  British  claims. 

The  Commissioners  met  for  the  first  time  at  St.  An- 
drews on  September  23, 1816,  and  obviously  no  more 
could  then  be  done  than  to  appoint  surveyors  to  explore 
the  unknown  wilderness  about  the  head  waters  of  the 
St.  John,  the  Restigouche,  the  Penobscot,  the  Kenne- 
bec and  the  Connecticut.  The  summer  of  1817  passed 
in  preliminary  exploration,  which  was  followed  the  next 
season  by  more  detailed  surveys,  and  as  the  season 
of  1818  drew  to  an  end,  the  facts  of  the  case  in  their 
general  outlines  became  perfectly  and  unmistakably 
clear. 

The  north  line,  as  it  runs  from  the  monument  at  the 
source  of  the  St.  Croix,  dips  down  into  the  broad  basin 
drained  by  the  River  St.  John,  whose  waters  empty 
into  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The  country  is  rough  and 
hilly,  and  at  Mars  Hill,  about  forty  miles  from  the  mon- 
ument, the  line  reaches  its  highest  elevation.  Not  quite 
forty  miles  further  on  the  River  St.  John  is  crossed, 
and  then  the  line  rises  to  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters 
of  the  St.  John  and  the  Restigouche,  the  latter  a  stream 
emptying  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Crossing  the 
basin  of  the  Restigouche  the  line  finally  —  at  a  distance 
of  143  miles  from  the  St.  Croix  monument  —  reaches 
waters  flowing  into  the  River  St.  Lawrence. 


Tf 


362 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


t  i 


Now  the  treaty  of  1783  required  the  line  to  end  at 
"  Highlands,"  dividing  rivers  running  into  the  River 
St.  Lawrence  from  rivers  "  which  fall  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean."  Did  "Highlands"  mean  mountains?  If  it 
did,  there  was  nothing  to  answer  that  description  north 
of  Mars  Hill.  Did  it  mean  merely  a  watershed, —  a 
dividing  ridge?  If  so,  there  was  the  choice  between 
two  such  ridges, —  that  between  the  St.  John  and  the 
Restigouche,  and  that  between  the  Restigouche  and 
the  St.  Lawrence.  But  the  St.  John  fell  into  the  Bay 
of  Fundy,  and  the  Restigouche  into  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence ;  and  the  British  representatives  contended 
that  neither  of  these  could  be  held  to  be  rivers  "  which 
fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean,"  within  the  meaning  of 
the  treaty.  Their  argument  was  precisely  that  used 
by  Mr.  Blaine  in  1890,  when  he  urged  that  the  Bering 
Sea  was  not  included  in  the  terms  of  a  treaty  which  re- 
lated to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  American  reply  antici- 
pated Lord  Salisbury's  retorts  and  illustrations.  The 
Bay  of  Fundy  and  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  it  was 
said,  were  just  as  much  a  part  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  as 
the  Bay  of  Biscay ;  and  they  were  much  more  clearly  a 
part  of  the  ocean  than  Long  Island  Sound,  into  which 
flowed  the  Connecticut  River, —  a  stream  conceded  on 
all  hands  to  be  one  of  those  which  were  wholly  within 
the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

But  the  Americans  drew  a  stronger  argument  from  a 
historical  examination  of  the  circumstances  attending 
the  framing  of  the  treaty  of  1783.  The  purpose  of  that 
treaty,  they  contended,  was  unmistakable.  Its  purpose 
was  to  confirm  to  the  United  States  all  of  the  territory 
of  the  thirteen  colonies,  and  to  leave  to  Great  Britain 
the  whole  of  Canada  and  Nova  Scotia.  If  this  were 
admitted,  the  rest  followed  at  once ;  for  the  southern 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


3G3 


boundary  of  Canada  had  been  fixed  by  a  royal  procla- 
mation of  October  7,  1763, —  just  after  the  conquest 
from  the  French, —  as  a  lino  "crossing  the  river  St. 
Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain  in  forty  five  degrees  of 
North  latitude,"  and  then  passing  "along  the  High- 
lands which  divide  fhe  rivers  that  empty  themselves 
into  the  said  River  ^1'.  ^jawrencc  from  those  which  fall 
into  THE  SEA,  and  also  along  the  \  orth  of  the  coast  of  the 
Bay  des  Chaleurs,"  etc.  The  treaty  of  1783  only  varied 
the  language  by  substituting  the  Atlantic  ocean  for 
THE  SEA.  If  this  was  not  meant  to  vary  the  meaning 
(and  there  was  no  evidence  of  any  purpose  to  enlarge 
the  boundaries  of  Canada),  then  it  was  plain  that  the 
head  waters  of  both  the  St.  John  and  the  Restigouche 
must  be  within  American  soil,  and  that  the  north  line 
must  run  its  143  miles  up  to  a  point  almost  within 
sight  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  debate  dragged  on 
with  much  wearisome  iteration,  and  without  any  more 
satisfactory  conclusion  than  that  the  treaty  of  1783 
was  "inexplicable  and  impracticable."  The  contro- 
versy has  long  since  been  compromised,  and  looking 
back  at  it  now,  free  from  the  passion  and  prejudice 
which  it  aroused  while  still  unsettled,  one  sees  no 
difficulty  either  in  explaining  or  enforcing  the  treaty. 
The  British  Government  in  17G3  had  deliberately  in- 
tended to  include  in  Canada  only  the  basin  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  to  which  the  French  population  was  con- 
fined. The  confirmation  of  existing  bounds,  which  was 
the  simple  principle  underlying  the  whole  of  the  treaty 
of  1783,  plainly  required  the  same  line  to  be  run.  How 
near  that  line  might  come  to  the  St.  Lawrence  was  not 
known  to  any  of  the  negotiators,  und  it  can  hardly  have 
been  a  cu'cumstance  which  they  took  into  account.  No 


l! 


I  !| 


364 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


r 


fi 


JH 

H 

i 

r^^BV^H 

H     ■ 

m 

1    ' 

ffl 

m 

i« 

St 

i 

1 

1 

one  to-day  can  doubt  that  in  this  dispute  the  United 
States  had  right  on  their  side.' 

The  controversy  about  the  northwesternmost  head 
of  the  Connecticut  Eiver  was  of  minor  importance.  It 
turned  upon  surveys  of  several  rivulets,  any  one  of 
which  might  perhaps  fairly  be  looked  upon  as  furnish- 
ing the  importa,nt  source. 

A  third  point  arose,  most  fortunately  for  British  in- 
terests, based  this  time  upon  perfectly  indisputable 
facts.  The  line  of  45"  north  latitude  had  been  run, 
about  1766,  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Connecticut, 
and  the  monuments  then  sot  up  had  always  been  looked 
upon  as  fixing  the  unquestioned  northern  boundary  of 
New- York  and  Vermont.  Just  where  the  line  crossed 
Lake  Champlain  lay  Rouse's  Point,  and  there  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  had  gone  to  great  expense 
in  fortifying  what  was  considered  in  that  day  a  most  val- 
uable strategic  position.  It  was  worth  a  whole  wilder- 
ness of  pine  timber,  and  no  one  had  ever  doubted  that 
it  lay  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States.  The  fact 
was,  however, — and  it  was  first  ascertained  in  1818, — 
that  the  line  run  in  1766  was  grievously  in  error,  and 
every  stone  in  the  fortifications  was  really  upon  British 
soil.^  Nor  was  this  all;  for  the  old  line,  diverging  as  it 
ran  eastward  from  the  true  parallel  of  latitude,  added 
to  New- York  and  Vermont  some  hundred  thousand 
acres  which,  under  the  plain  words  of  the  treaty, 'be- 
longed, without  a  doubt,  to  Canada. 

And  so,  at  the  beginning  of  1819,  the  northeastern 
boundary  question  stood  thus :    The  line  had  been  run 

1  See  "  The  Boundaries  Formerly  ceded,  so  far  as  the  northwest  angle 

in  Dispute,"  by  Sir  Francis  Hincks  of  Nova  Scotia  is  concerned. 

(Montreal,  1885),  wherein  the  justice  2  gee  map  in  Winsor's  Narrative 

of  the  American  claim  is  fully  con-  and  Critical  History,  Vol.  VII. 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


305 


from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  through  the  islands  of  Passa- 
maquoddy  Bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix,  and  up 
the  St.  Croix  to  its  source.  The  north  line  had  been  so 
far  surveyed  as  to  show  that  at  least  an  argument  might 
be  made  to  reduce  the  American  claims  in  that  quar- 
ter. The  northwestern  source  of  the  Connecticut  River 
was  in  doubt.  And  the  old  and  long-recognized  lino 
west  of  the  Connecticut  had  been  shown  to  bo  grossly 
incorrect. 

The  years  that  had  elapsed  since  the  close  of  the  War 
of  1812  had  wrought  many  changes  in  Barclay's  family. 
His  youngest  daughter,  Ann,  had  married  Mr.  W.  B. 
Parsons,  a  retired  officer  of  the  Royal  Navy, —  a  mar- 
riage not  approved  by  her  parents,  but  which,  nev- 
ertheless, turned  out  well.  Of  the  sons,  Henry  and 
Anthony  had  also  married.  George  at  the  beginning 
of  1819  was  in  England,  where  he  had  recently  married 

—  having  gone  there  with  the  purpose  of  establishing 
himself  in  business.  Mrs.  Livingston,  the  oldest  daugh- 
ter, had  died.  The  house  at  Harlem  had  been  sold,  and 
Barclay  and  his  wife,  with  Mrs.  Livingston's  children, 

—  now  the  only  members  of  their  household, —  had 
again  taken  up  their  residence  in  New- York;  this  time 
at  No.  386  Greenwich  Street,  which  was  thenceforward 
to  be  their  home. 


FROM  LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 


Sir; 


Foreign  Office,  Sept.  4",  1815. 


His  Royal  Highness  The  Prince  Regent  having  been  gi'aci- 
ously  pleased  to  name  you  to  act  as  His  Majesty's  Commissioner, 
for  the  purposes  specified  in  the  4"'  an '  ''•'  Articles  of  the  Treaty 
of  Peace  and  Amity  concluded  at  Ghtuc  on  the  24""  December 


3GG 


CORRKSPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


last,  with  tlio  United  States  of  America,  I  horowitli  transmit 
to  you  Ilis  Majesty's  Commission  under  the  Groat  Seal  ap- 
pointiuf?  you  to  that  office. 

You  will  lose  no  time  in  proceding  to  St.  Andrews  in  Nova 
Scotia  where  the  Commissioners  of  both  Parties  are  by  the 
said  Treaty  appointed  to  meet. 

On  your  arrival  there  you  will  bo  joined  by  Mr.  Chipraan 
who  has  received  orders  to  accompany  you  in  the  capacity  of 
Agent  on  the  part  of  Ilis  Majesty's  Government.  M.  la  Bou- 
chettei  will  accompany  you  as  Surveyor  of  the  boundaries 
which  it  is  intended  to  define  and  establish  by  the  Commission 
entrusted  to  you. 

In  case  the  Commissioner  who  is  to  act  with  you  on  the  part 
of  the  American  Government  should  not  have  proceeded  to  his 
destination.  His  Majesty's  Charge  d' Affaires  at  Washington 
will  be  instructed  to  press  his  departure,  so  that  no  time  may 
be  lost  in  the  execution  of  your  respective  Duties. 

Your  commission  embraces  Two  distinct  Objects  the  Nature 
of  which  the  enclosed  copy  of  the  4"'  and  5"'  Articles  of  the 
Treaty  will  demonstrate  as  well  as  the  nu)de  in  which  the 
Questions  at  issue  are  to  be  finally  arranged  between  you  and 
the  American  Commission. 

With  regard  to  the  regulation  of  your  conduct  in  bringing 
to  a  favorable  issue  the  first  question  namely,  whether  the  sev- 
eral Islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passamacjuoddy  and  in  the  Bay  of 
Fundy  belong  of  right  to  the  United  States  or  to  Great  Brit- 
ain ;  it  may  be  necessary  that  you  keep  in  mind  (altho'  in  de- 
ciding upon  it  you  are  solely  to  }>g  led  by  the  Evidence  that 
will  be  adduced  in  favour  of  the  Claims  of  other  countries) 
that  His  Majesty's  right  to  those  Islands  is  supposed  to  be 
founded  on  the  Second  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  of  1783 
which  excepted  from  the  line  of  20  leagues  from  the  line  of 
Coast,  by  which  it  was  then  agreed  to  fix  that  side  of  the 


1  Tho  person  intended  was  Joseph 
Bouchette,  the  Surveyor-General  of 
Canada,  who  was  at  this  time  in  Eng- 
land superintending  the  publication 
of  one  of  his  books.  He  proved  most 


unsatisfactory  as  a  Surveyor  to  the 
Commission.  He  died  in  1841,  hav- 
ing published  several  valuable  works 
on  the  topography  and  statistics  of 
Canada. 


]' 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


3G7 


Boundary  of  tlio  Uiiitod  States,  sncli  Islands  as  now  are  or 
heretofore  have  been  within  the  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia. — And 
that  the  Ishinds  in  question  did  eonie  within  the  Limits  of  that 
Province,  will  bo  proved  not  only  from  the  Circumstance  of 
the  Jurisdiction  whicli  the  (rovcrnment  of  Nova  Scotia  always 
was  in  the  habit  of  exercisinj^  over  the  Inhabitants  up  to  the 
Peace  of  178!},  but  more  forcil)ly  from  the  fact  that  the  origi- 
nal Patent  or  Crrant  (an  Extract  of  which  I  inclose)  of  the  said 
Province  made  by  King  James  the  o"'.  to  Sir  William  Alexan- 
der in  1G21,  '.fter  tracing  the  Bouiularies  of  the  United  States 
[sic]  in  it's  circumference  proceeds  to  include  in  it  all  Islands 
&c.,  within  Six  Leagues  of  any  part  of  that  circumference.^ 


1  Tho  original  patent  is  in  Latin. 
Tlie  important  parts  of  it  may  be 
thus  transliited:  "We  have  giv(Mi, 
granted  and  conveyed  and  by  the 
tenor  of  this  our  presontCharterwedo 
give,  grant  and  convey,  unto  tlie  said 
Sir  William  Alexander,  his  heirs  or 
assigns  whomsoever  in  inlieritanee, 
all  and  singular  the  lands,  continents 
or  islands  situate  and  lying  in  Ameri- 
ca within  the  headland  or  promon- 
tory commonly  called  Cap  <lc  Sable, 
lying  near  tho  latitude  of  43  degrees 
or  thereabouts  north  of  the  equinoc- 
tial line;  from  which  promontory 
stretching  wostwardly  along  the  sea- 
shore to  the  harbor  of  Saint  Mary, 
and  thence  toward  the  North  by  a 
straight  line  crossing  the  entrance 
or  mouth  of  that  great  bay  which 
runs  into  the  liastern  tract  of  land 
between  the  countries  of  the  Suri- 
quois  and  Etcliemins  to  the  river 
commonly  called  St.  Croix;  and  to 
the  most  remote  spring  or  source 
which  from  the  western  part  of  the 
same  fii-st  m^ingles  itself  with  the 
said  river ;  thence  by  an  imagiiuiry 
straight  line  which  may  be  conceived 
to  go  through  the  land  or  to  run  to- 


ward the  North  to  the  nearest  liar- 
bor,  river  or  spring  emptying  itself 
into  the  great  river  of  Canada;  and 
from  tlienco  extending  toward  the 
East  along  the  shores  of  the  same 
river  of  Canada  to  the  river,  liarbor, 
port  or  shore  commonly  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  (im^hcpe  or 
(Uisjw ;  and  from  thence  toward  the 
South  East  to  the  islands  called  Bnc- 
caUws  or  Cap  Breton,  leaving  those 
islands  on  the  right,  and  the  gulf  of 
the  said  river  of  Canada  or  groat  bay, 
and  the  lands  of  Knrfoundland  with 
the  ishinds  to  the  said  lands  belong- 
ing, on  the  left ;  and  thence  to  tho 
headland  or  promontory  of  Cap  lire- 
ton  aforesaid,  lying  near  the  latitude 
of  45  degrees,  or  thereabouts ;  and 
from  tho  said  promontory  of  I  'ap  Bre- 
ton toward  tho  South  and  West  to  tho 
said  Cap  de  Sable,  where  tho  peram- 
bulation began  ;  including  and  com- 
prehending within  the  aforesaid 
seashores  and  their  circumferences 
from  sea  to  sea,  all  lands  and  conti- 
nents with  the  rivers,  streams,  bays, 
shores,  islands  or  seas  lying  near  or 
within  six  leagues  of  any  part  of  the 
same  on  the  Western,  Northern  or 


ij 


'1 


368 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS   BARCLAY 


)    I 


It  cannot  also  have  escapod  your  roco'  oction  that  in  the 
discussion  in  which  you  wore  engaged  with  the  United  States 
in  1790  and  which  terininated  in  your  flxing  the  Mouth  of  the 
River  St.  Croix  at  Joes  Point,  the  point  now  at  issue  was  in 
some  degree  decided,  a  reference  to  the  Pro(!eedings  of  the 
Commissioners  at  that  period  will  prove  that  the  objection 
made  to  that  decision  on  the  part  of  the  American  Agent  was 
that  he  [sic]  conferred  upon  Great  Britain  the  possession  of  the 
very  Islands  now  under  dispute,  and  he  on  that  ground  argued 
tho'  ineffectually  the  impropriety  of  the  decision  itself. 

The  Second  object  to  which  y-  '  are  to  dire(!t  your  attention 
relates  to  tho  Boundary  which  to  be  determined  according 
to  the  5"'  Art.  of  the  present  Treaty,  also  in  conformity  to  the 
Provisions  of  tho  Treaty  of  1783. 

In  a  former  commission  with  which  you  were  charged,  you 
determimnl  one  of  tho  doubtful  Points  connected  with  this 
part  of  the  Boundary  now  to  be  fixed,  namely,  which  was  tho 
true  River  of  St.  Croix :  so  that  your  labours  will  now  begin 
from  the  source  of  this  River  with  a  view  of  continuing  and 
terminating  the  survey  as  therein  detailed  to  the  River  Iroquois 
or  Cataraguy. 

This  being  a  mere  operation  of  Survey,  it  will  not  be  neces- 
sary to  give  you  any  specific  Instructions  for  the  regulation  of 
your  Conduct  on  this  head.  It  will  therefore  only  remain  in 
general  to  enjoin  you  to  use  the  utmost  diligence  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  important  Trust  now  committed  to  your  Care, 


Eastern  parts  of  tho  said  shores  and 
precincts.  .  .  .  Moreover  we  of  our 
certain  knowledge,  mere  motion,  re- 
gal authority  and  royal  power,  have 
made,  united,  annexed,  created  and 
incorporated ;  and  by  the  tenor  of 
this  our  present  charter  we  do  make, 
unite,  annex,  erect,  create  and  in- 
corporate the  whole  and  entire  Prov- 
ince and  lands  of  Nova  Scotia  afore- 
said with  all  their  limits,  seas,  &c, 
offices  and  jurisdictions  and  all 
other  things  generally  and  particu- 
larly above  mentioned,  into  one  en- 


tire and  free  dominion  and  barony 
to  bo  called  in  all  future  time  by  the 
aforesaid  name,  Nova  Scotia.  .  .  . 
And  even  if  any  (juestions  or  doubts 
touching  the  interpretation  or  con- 
struction of  any  clause  in  this  our 
present  Charter  should  arise,  all  such 
are  to  be  taken  and  interpreted  in 
the  most  ample  form  and  in  favor  of 
the  said  Sir  William  Alexander  and 
his  heirs." 

A  line  drawn  from  the  mouth  of 
St.  Mary's  Bay  to  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Croix  just  touches  Grand  Monan. 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


3G9 


in  the 
Htatca 
.  of  the 
was  in 
of  the 
ijoctiou 
jut  was 
11  of  the 
argued 

tentiou 
cording 
y  to  the 

?cd,  you 
ith  this 
was  the 
w  begin 
ing  and 
Iroquois 

.»e  neces- 
lation  of 
smain  in 
the  dis- 
ur  Care, 

1(1  barony 
me  by  the 
otia.  .  .  • 
or  doubts 
on  or  con- 
thia  our 
ie,  all  such 
•pretod  in 
n  favor  of 
Einder  and 

mouth  of 

uth  of  the 

d  Monan. 


as  well  as  the  nicest  and  most  minute  accuracy  in  fixing  and 
determining  the  Linos  of  the  said  Boundaries,  so  that  no  room 
may  remain  for  any  doubts  in  future  on  that  Matter. 

You  will  keep  mo  regularly  informed  of  the  ])rogross  of  the 
Commission  with  which  you  arc  charged  as  well  as  of  any  oc- 
currences which  may  come  within  your  knowledge  and  which 
it  may  bo  material  that  Ilis  Majesty's  (Jovornmont  should  have 
cognizance  and  you  will  not  fail  to  communicate  with  His  Ma- 
jesty's Minister  at  Washington  on  any  Matters  that  may  be 
for  the  good  of  Ilis  Majesty's  Service. 

I  am  &c. 

Castlereagh. 


FROM   LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 

Foreign  Office  Septr.  4,  1815. 
Sir, 

In  consequence  of  your  having  received  the  appointment  of 
which  a  communication  has  been  made  to  you  in  my  Instruc- 
tion No.  1  of  this  date,  I  am  to  inform  you  that  it  is  His 
Royal  Highness  The  Prince  Regent's  Pleasure  that  your  ap- 
pointment as  His  Majesty's  Consul  General  in  the  State  of 
New  York  should  cease  on  the  Quarter  ending  the  5"'  of  July 
next :  But  that  the  same  allowai  ie  be  continued  to  you  from 
that  Period  in  your  new  capacity  of  His  Majesty's  Commis- 
sioner for  the  Execution  of  the  4'"  and  5"'  Articles  of  the  Treaty 
of  Ghcnt.i 

In  addition  to  your  regular  Allowances,  you  will  be  author- 
ized to  draw  upon  this  office  for  the  actual  expense  of  Journies 
to  which  you  may  be  exposed  by  moving  from  Place  to  place 
in  the  Execution  of  your  Functions  taking  care  to  transmit  to 
this  Office  the  proper  Vouchers  for  such  Expenditure. 

Should  it  however  be  understood  between  you  and  the  Com- 
missioner on  the  part  of  America  that  such  Expenses  as  well 
as  all  others  attending  the  said  Commission  are  to  be  defrayed 


1  The  salary  was  at  this  t  ime  £  IGOO 
a  year ;  and  it  appears  to  have  been 
paid  more  regularly  and  with  fewer 
21 


deductions  than  during  the  stress  of 
the  Napoleonic  wars. 


't« 


370 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


equally  by  the  two  Parties  in  pursuance  of  the  Provision  which 

is  made  in  the  8"'  Art.  of  the  said  Treaty  you  will  conform  to 

that  arrauf^eniont. 

For  the  further  regulation  of  your  conduct  on  this  subject, 

I  herewith  inclose  a  Copy  of  the  receipt  signed  by  Mr.  Munroe 

on  the  ex(!hange  of  the  Ratifications  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  in 

which  is  inserted  a  declaration  that  the  Principles  which  were 

observed  in  carrying  into  Execution  the  Treaty  of  1794,  are  to 

be  f'  llowed  in  this  Instance. 

I  am  &c., 

Castlereagh. 


f  Ra 


TO  LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 

New  York  lO'"  August  1816. 
My  Lord, 

It  was  not  before  the  7"'  of  this  month,  by  the  June  Packet 
from  Falmouth  that  I  had  the  Honor  to  receive  your  Lord- 
ships Letters  Nos.  1  and  2  of  the  4'"  of  September  last  inform- 
ing me  that  His  Royal  Highness  The  Prince  Regent  had  been 
graciously  pleased  to  name  me  to  act  as  His  Majesty's  Commis- 
sionor  for  the  purposes  specified  in  the  4"'  and  5"'  Articles  of 
the  Treaty  of  P<;ace  and  Amity  concluded  at  Ghent  on  the  24"" 
of  December  1814  with  the  United  States  of  America,  and  that 
your  Lordship  had  by  the  same  conveyance  transmitted  to  me 
His  Majesty's  Commission  under  the  Great  Seal  appointing 
me  to  that  office. 

I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  assure  your  Lordship  that  I  am 
duly  sensible  of  this  further  mark  of  His  Majesty's  most  gra- 
cious Cvjudescencion  and  favor,  and  I  in  treat  you  will  be  pleased 
to  lay  my  most  humble  acknowledgement  at  the  Feet  of  His 
Royal  Highness  The  Prince  Regent  for  this  gracious  Testimony 
of  His  Royj.i  Confidence.  It  shall  be  my  stud;  not  to  render 
myself  unworthy  of  it. 

The  instant  I  received  your  Lordships  Letters  and  my  Com- 
mission, I  transmitted  copies  of  your  No.  1  and  of  the  Com- 
mission to  His  Majesty  s  Minister  at  Washington  and  requested 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


371 


l\ 


which 
onn  to 

ubject, 
^unroe 
hent  in 
;h  wore 
[,  are  to 


EAGH. 


it  1816. 

i  Packet 
ur  Lord- 
-j  inf  orm- 
liad  been 
Coinmis- 
rtieles  of 
1  the  ^^^'^ 
and  that 
ed  to  me 
pointing 


him  to  communicate  the  purport  thereof  to  the  Airerican 
Government,  and  to  propose  that  a  meeting  should  take  pUice 
between  the  American  Commissioner  or  Commissioner"  and 
myself  at  St.  Andrews  in  New  Brunswick  on  the  10"'  of  Sep- 
tember. This  was  as  early  a  day  as  could  with  safety  be 
named,  under  the  circumstances  of  my  being  obliged  to  notify 
the  American  Government  of  my  appointments,  and  for  it  to 
send  directions  for  the  American  Commissioner  to  proceed 
without  delay  so  as  to  meet  me  at  St,  Andrews  on  the  10"'  of 
next  month.  I  have  in  like  manner  requested  Mr.  Chipman 
the  Agent  on  the  part  of  His  Majesty  to  be  at  St.  Andrews  on 
that  day.  I  have  not  yet  heard  of  Mr.  La  Bouchette's  arrival 
in  America.  His  presence  however  is  not  indispensibly  ne- 
ccssaiy  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Commissioners.  Your  Lord- 
ships remarks  with  respect  to  the  Lslands  in  Passamaquoddy 
Bay  and  the  Principles  on  which  His  Majesty's  claim  to  those 
Islands  is  founded  are  in  my  opinion  perfectly  correct,  and 
such  as  cannot  be  controverted.  I  am  apprehensive  it  will  be 
difficult  for  His  Majestys  Agent  to  support  with  equal  evidence 
His  Majesty's  claim  to  the  Island  of  Grand  Manan  in  the  Bay 
of  Fundy,  an  island  of  far  more  national  importance,  than  any 
of  the  others.  On  this  point  and  on  the  5"'  Article  o'f  the 
Treaty  I  shall  take  the  Liberty  of  communicating  more  fully 
with  your  Lordship. 


TO   LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 


'•:  t 


'A\ 


lat  I  am 
nost  gra- 
>e  pleased 

t  of  His 
estimony 

0  render 

my  Com- 
the  Com- 
reouested 


New  York  12th  August  181G. 
My  Lord, 

In  my  Letter  No.  1  of  the  lOtli  Current,  I  stated,  that  I 
should  do  myself  the  Honor  more  fully  to  communicate  with 
your  Lordship  on  His  Majesty's  claim  to  the  Island  of  Grand 
Manan,  and  on  the  5th  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent. 

By  the  Treaty  of  Peace  in  1783  between  His  Majesty  and 
the  United  States  of  America  all  Islands  that  were  at  the  time 
of  that  Treaty,  or  theretofore  had  been  within  the  Limits  of 
the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  were  reserved  to  His  Majesty. 


372 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


yiii 


i  ; 


In  order  to  support  His  Majestys  claim  to  Grand  Manan,  the 
most  valuable  of  tluise  Islands  it  is  necessary  to  ascertain 
and  establish  the  most  extensive  westerly  Bounds  at  any  time 
heretofore  prescribed  to  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia.  The 
Boundaries  of  this  Province  have  from  time  to  time  been  vari- 
ously described  from  the  original  Grant  to  Sir  William  Alex- 
ander to  the  year  1773. 

The  Grant  of  the  Province  of  Nova  Scotia  to  Sir  William 
Alexander  in  the  year  1621  is  the  most  ancient  and  contains 
the  most  formal  Description  of  the  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia,  and 
in  point  of  authority  is  superior  to  any  subsequent  act  of  His 
Majesty  or  His  Royal  Predecessors  in  which  the  Limits  of  that 
Province  are  defined. 

In  His  Majestys  Commission  to  Montague  Wilmot  Esqr  as 
Governor  of  Nova  Scotia  the  ancient  Western  limits  of  the 
Province  of  Nova  Scotia  are  described,  and  it  appears  an  alter- 
ation was  then  made  with  respect  to  the  western  Boundary 
Line,  in  the  words  following,  "and  to  the  Westward  although 
our  said  Province  hath  anciently  extended  and  doth  of  right 
extend  as  far  as  the  River  Peutagoet  or  Penobscot  it  shall  be 
bounded  by  a  line  drawn  from  Cape  Sable  across  the  entrance 
of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  the  mouth  of  the  River  St.  Croix"  &c., 
&c.  I  understand  this  alteration  was  made  by  His  Majesty  in 
council  in  the  year  17G3.  The  order  I  have  not  seen.  It  cannot 
be  doubted,  but  that  His  Majesty  in  council  at  the  period  of  al- 
tering the  Western  Bounds  of  Nova  Scotia,  h;  1  before  him  some 
legal  documents  by  which  the  original  Bounds  of  Nova  Scotia, 
to  which  the  order  refers,  had  been  established,  to  wit  West- 
ward to  the  River  Penobscot.  What  appears  in  the  order  of 
council  however  is  merely  by  way  of  preamble.  It  is  there- 
fore of  moment  that  His  Majestys  Agent  should  if  possible  be 
possessed  of  the  instrument  by  which  the  Western  limits  of 
Nova  Scotia  were,  as  is  stated  in  the  preamble  originally  estab- 
lished at  and  by  the  River  Penobscot.  Perhaps  upon  a  search 
in  the  Council  Books  and  papers  or  in  the  proper  offices,  some 
clue  may  be  found  which  would  load  to  the  discovery  of  this 
important  document.  As  there  is  no  trace  of  any  Grant  hav- 
ing been  made  by  His  Majesty  or  His  Predecessors  of  the 


(       I 


i 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


373 


m,  the 
jertain 
ly  time 
,.  The 
;n  vari- 
a  Alex- 

Villiara 
oiitains 
tia,  and 
I  of  His 
t  of  that 

Es(ir  as 
s  of  the 
an  alter- 
oiindary 
ilthough 
of  right 
;  shall  be 
entrance 
oix"  &c., 
ajesty  in 
It  cannot 
iod  of  al- 
lim  some 
ra  Scotia, 
^rit  West- 
order  of 
is  there- 
)ssible  be 
imits  of 
ly  estab- 
ii  search 
ces,  some 
vy  of  this 
rant  hav- 
.rs  of  the 


Island  of  Gran(]  Manan  other  than  that  to  Sir  William  Alex- 
ander, and  which  is  constructive  and  in  some  measure  defect- 
ive, it  will  be  necessary  to  produce  the  next  best  evidence  that 
Grand  Mauan  heretofore  was  within  the  Province  of  Nova 
Scotia.  This  can  be  done  by  showing  that  the  Governor  and 
Council  of  that  Province  so  far  exercised  a  right  over  that 
Island  as  to  grant  a  reservation  of  it  to  Lord  William  Camp- 
bell until  His  Majestys  pleasure  should  l)e  known,  this  reser- 
vation was  made  in  the  year  1773,  and  is  an  evident  proof  that 
the  Government  of  Nova  Scotia  then  considered  it,  as  apper- 
taining to  that  I*rovince.  Unless  therefore  it  is  shown,  that 
Massachusetts  at  that  time  or  previously  exercised  a  jurisdic- 
tion over  or  laid  claim  to  this  Island,  the  act  of  the  Governor 
and  Council,  I  humbly  conceive  must  be  considered  as  con- 
clusive. As  the  above  reservation  was  made  until  His  Majes- 
tys pleasure  was  known,  it  is  to  be  presumed  his  Lordship 
petitioned  His  Majesty  to  grant  him  this  Island,  and  that 
something  was  done  upon  the  petition.  If  the  petition  and  the 
minutes  of  what  was  ordei'cd  thereupon,  can  at  this  remote 
day  be  found,  they  would  perhaps  greatly  strengthen  the 
present  claim. 

I  have  reason  to  believe  it  will  be  attempted  to  support  the 
claim  of  the  United  States  to  Grand  Manan  and  the  Islands  in 
the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy  by  the  limits  of  Nova  Scotia  as  de- 
scribed in  His  Majestys  Commission  to  Lord  William  Camp- 
bell in  1766  and  to  Francis  Legge  Esqr.  in  1773  as  Governor 
of  that  Province.  In  the  commission  of  the  latter,  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  description  of  the  Boundaries  of  Nova  Scotia : 
"  Bounded  on  the  Westward  by  a  Line  drawn  from  Cape  Sable 
across  the  entrance  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  the  mouth  of  the 
River  St.  Croix,  by  the  said  River  to  its  source  and  by  a  Line 
drawn  due  North  from  thence  to  the  Southern  Boundary  of 
our  colony  of  Quebec  to  the  Northward  by  the  same  Boundary 
as  far  as  the  Western  extremity  of  the  Bay  des  Chaleurs  to  the 
Eastward  by  the  said  Bay  and  the  Gulph  of  St.  Lawrence  to 
the  Cape  or  Promontory  called  Breton  in  the  Island  of  that 
name  including  that  Island  and  all  the  other  Islands  within  six 
leagues  of  the  coast  except:  ag  our  said  Island  of  St.  John 

24* 


'i 


374 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


Pf: ' 


» 

i!-^ 
'  \ 

( 

1 

f 


which  we  have  thought  fit  to  erect  into  a  separate  Government 
and  to  the  Southward  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  from  tlie  said 
Cape  to  Cape  Sable  aforesaid  including  the  Islands  of  that 
name  and  all  other  Islands  within  forty  leagues  of  the  Coast." 
I  have  not  seen  an  extract  of  the  Commission  to  Lord  William 
Cam))bell,  but  Mr.  Chipman  His  Majesty's  Agent  writes  me, 
the  Boundaries  described  therein  are  the  same  with  those  in 
Sir  Francis  Legge's  commission.  From  these  commissions  it 
would  appear  that  the  Islands  within  six  leagues  of  the  coast  are 
confined  to  the  coast  on  the  Eastern  side  of  the  Province 
of  Nova  Scotia.  The  Commissions  refer  to  Islands  on  the 
East  and  South  sides  of  the  Province,  bnt  are  silent  with  re- 
spect to  those  on  the  West  Side.  I  attribute  this  to  inattention 
in  those  who  framed  the  commissions.  At  that  period  it  was 
not  perhaps  considered  necessary  to  be  critically  particular  in 
such  descriptions  in  commissions  to  Governors,  the  Limits  and 
appendages  of  the  respective  Provinces  had  been  declared,  but 
had  never  been  surveyed  and  defined  by  actual  measurement. 
His  Majesty's  Ministers  could  not  have  intended  to  take  these 
Islands  from  the  jurisdiction  of  Nova  Scotia  without  either 
erecting  them  into  a  distinct  colony,  which  would  have  been 
ridiculous,  or  annexing  them  to  the,  then.  Province  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Neither  of  these  was  the  case,  it  therefore  follows 
that  they  remained  part  or  parcel  of  Nova  Scotia  under  the 
Grant  to  Sir  William  Alexander.  Besides  it  required  express 
words  to  take  those  Islands  formerly  declared  to  appertain  to 
Nova  Scotia,  from  it:  and  your  Lordshij)  will  presently  per- 
ceive that  on  a  nearly  similar  occasion  in  contracting  the 
Western  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia  express  words  were  used  in 
the  commission  to  Governor  Wilmot. 

In  the  latter  part  of  your  No.  1  your  Lordship  is  pleased  to 
notice  in  reference  to  the  5th  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent, 
that  this  being  a  mere  operation  of  survey,  it  will  not  be  neces- 
sary to  give  me  any  specific  instructions  for  the  regulation  of 
my  conduct  on  this  head.  The  running  of  a  Line  due  North 
from  the  source  of  the  River  St.  Croix  is  certainly  a  simple 
operation,  but  from  all  that  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  it  is  very 
doubtful,  whether  Highlands,  such  as  will  satisfy,  the  second 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


375 


itnent 
3  said 
I  that 
!oast." 
illiam 
3S  mc, 
loso  in 
ions  it 
ast  are 
ovinco 
on  the 
atli  re- 
bention 
[  it  was 
iular  in 
lits  and 
•ed,  but 
cement, 
ie  these 
t  either 
ive  been 
f  Massa- 
foUows 
ider  the 
express 
jrtain  to 
itly  per- 
king the 
used  in 

eased  to 
Ghent, 
36  neces- 
ation  of 
Lie  North 
simple 
it  is  very 
le  second 


Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  in  1783,  and  to  which  the  Treaty 
of  Ghent  refers,  will  be  found  on  running  this  lin^.  I  am  not 
less  apprehensive  admitting  that  such  Highlands  correspond- 
ing with  the  Treaty  are  found,  that  a  question  of  no  small 
difficulty  will  arise  with  respect  to  which  rivulet  or  little  sti*enm 
the  appellation  of  the  North  Westermost  Head  of  Connecticut 
River  is  most  applicable.  These  difficulties  removed,  the  re- 
maiiulcr  of  the  execution  of  the  ath  Article  would  be  plain  and 
easy.  I  cannot  however  refrain  expressing  my  fears  to  your 
Lordship  that  one  or  both  of  the  above  named  points  will  prove 
insuperable  to  the  Commissioners,  and  that  recourse  must  be 
had  by  a  referance,  on  the  reports  of  the  Commissioners,  to 
some  friendly  Sovereign  or  State;  or  some  amicable  adjust- 
ment of  the  line  take  place  between  His  Majesty  and  the 
United  States.  The  latter,  if  practicable  would  unquestionably 
be  most  eligible. 


TO   LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 

New  York  2  October  181G. 
My  Lord. 

In  my  No.  1  of  the  10th  of  August,  I  stated  to  your  Lord- 
ship that  I  had  requested  Mr.  Bagot  His  Majesty's  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  at  Washington  ^  to  propose  to  the  American 
Government  that  the  American  Commissioners  under  the  4"' 
and  5""  Articles  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  should  be  directed  to 
meet  me  at  St.  Andrews  on  the  IGth  of  September  in  order  to 
proceed  on  the  Duties  expi'cssed  in  our  respective  Commis- 
sions, and  the  proposition  having  met  the  concurrence  of  this 
Government,  I  proceeded  from  hence  to  Portland  in  the  Dis- 


1  Charles  Bugot  was  born  Sei)teni- 
ber  23,  1781 ;  held  the  post  of  Brit- 
ish Minister  in  Washington  from  the 
spring  of  1810  to  the  spring  of  1819; 
became  Governor-General  of  Can- 
ada; and  died  there  May  19,  1843. 
"  Bagot,"  wrote  John  Quiney  Adams, 
"  is  tall,  well  proportioned,  and  with 


a  remarkably  handsome  face ;  per- 
fectly well-bred,  ajid  of  dignified  and 
gentlemanly  deportment.  ,  .  .  No 
English  Minister  has  ever  been  so 
popular ;  and  the  mediocrity  of  his 
talents  has  been  one  of  the  principal 
causes  of  his  success."  Diary,  Vol. 
rV,  p.  338. 


l! 
r 


■) 


\ 

< ;  ; 


«<  I 


till 


«.'!!■ 


I 


876 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


triet  of  Maine  to  meet  Mr.  Holmes  the  American  Commis- 
sioner under  the  4th  and  Mr.  Van  Ness  the  American  Commis- 
sioner under  the  5th  Article  of  that  Treaty,  from  whence  we 
were  to  take  passage  for  St.  Andrews.  Owinj?  to  adverse 
winds  and  calms  wo  were  delayed  several  Days  at  Portland, 
and  it  was  not  before  the  22''  of  September  that  we  landed  at 
St.  Andrews,  where  Mr.  Chipman  His  Majesty's  Af^ent  had 
been  several  days  waiting  our  arrival.  Mr.  Austin  the  Amer- 
ican Agent  came  with  the  Commissioners,  On  the  2!5rd  of 
September  the  commissions  were  opened  and  copies  under 
both  Articles  interchanged.  The  Commissioners  were  also 
sworn  agreeably  to  the  Treaty.  The  Agents  under  the  4th 
Article  were  then  called  upon  to  exhibit  their  claims,  and  pro- 
duce their  credentials.  The  American  Agent  delivered  a  for- 
mal commission  from  the  President  of  the  United  States,  but 
Mr.  Chipman  exhibited  only  a  letter  from  Lord  Bathurst  His 
Majesty's  Principal  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonial  Depart- 
ment. The  American  commissioner  objected  to  the  Letter  as 
insufficient,  first  because  there  was  no  official  seal,  and  sec- 
ondly that  His  Lordship  had  not  expressed  his  official  charac- 
ter after  his  signature  to  the  Letter.  I  endeavored  to  remove 
both  these  objections  and  so  far  succeeded  as  to  obtain  the 
consent  of  the  American  Commissioners  to  proceed  to  Inisi- 
ness,  under  a  promise  that  Mr.  Chipman  should  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Board  produce  a  more  official  appointment. 
Mr.  Chipman  will  write  Earl  Bathurst  on  the  Subject.  On  the 
24th  of  September  the  Agents  delivered  to  the  commissioners 
the  claims  of  their  respective  Governments  to  the  Islands  in 
the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy  and  Bay  of  Fundy,  copies  of 
which  I  have  the  Honor  to  enclose.  The  Commissioners  re- 
quested to  know  whether  they  were  prepared  to  argue  and 
prove  their  claims,  and  if  not,  when  they  would  be.  The 
Agents  answered  that  they  thought  the  28th  of  May  as  early  a 
day  as  could  consistently  be  named  for  these  purposes.  The 
Commissioners  acceded  and  adjourned  from  St.  Andrews  to 
meet  at  Boston  in  the  State  of  Masso  'lusetts  on  the  28th  of 
May  1817. 


iU— ^--^ 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


377 


ommis- 
omtnis- 
nce  we 
adverse 
n-tland, 
iidod  Pt 
3nt  had 
3  Atner- 
2;5rd  of 
s  under 
ere  also 
the  4th 
and  pro- 
ed  a  f  or- 
ates, l)ut 
urst  His 
I  Depart- 
Letter  as 
Hud  sec- 
il  charac- 
0  remove 
jtaiii  the 
to  busi- 
the  next 
)intinent. 
On  the 
lissioners 
slands  in 
copies  of 
oners  re- 
rgue  and 
be.    The 
as  early  a 
ses.    The 
idrews  to 
e  28th  of 


No  A<:(pnt  appeai-od  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  under 
the  5tli  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  (ihent,  nor  Surveyor  for  either 
nation.  By  the  words  of  the  Treaty  I  should  hnve  considered 
the  Commissioners  autliorized  to  appoint  Surveyors  but  as 
your  Lordship  liad  sipnifled  to  me  that  Earl  Bathurst  )iad  ap- 
pointed Colonel  Bouehette  Surveyor  on  the  part  of  His  Maj- 
esty, I  declined  doing  so,  and  represented  to  Mr.  Van  Ness, 
the  American  Commissioner,  that  Col.  Boucliette  was  mo- 
mently expected  from  England  as  the  British  Surveyor.  Mr. 
Van  Ness  was  also  equally  convinced  with  myself  that  the 
Season  was  too  far  advanced  for  tlie  Surveyors  to  commence 
any  operations  this  Autumn.  The  best  informed  Inhabitants 
at  St.  Andrews  and  Robbins  Town  (the  American  side  of  the 
River  St.  Croix)  agreed  in  opinion  that  the  Surveyors  could 
not  commence  their  operations  before  the  month  of  June  next, 
owing  to  the  Bodies  of  snow  remaining  in  the  Woods  and  the 
Brooks  and  other  streams  being  overcharged  with  water.  It 
was  therefore  agreed  by  the  Commissioners  under  the  5'"  Arti- 
cle to  meet  at  Boston  on  the  4th  of  June,  aiul  to  direct  that  the 
Surveyors  attend  them  on  that  day,  at  that  place.  The  Agents 
are  to  be  directed  to  provide  Chain  Bearers,  ax  men,  and  per- 
sons to  carry  Provisions  &c.  &c.  also  to  purchase  the  necessary 
provisions.  The  conveyance  of  Provisions  will  I  fear  be  a 
matter  of  no  small  difficulty,  increasing  as  the  siirveys  recede 
from  the  Rivers  St.  Croix  and  St.  John.  I  have  received  no 
information  of  Colonel  Bouchette's  arrival  in  America.  Should 
he  still  remain  in  England,  I  beg  leave  to  suggest  to  your  Lord- 
ship the  necessity  of  his  being  ordered  to  repair  to  Boston  with- 
out delay,  or  rather  to  St.  Johns,  New  Brunswick,  so  that  he  may 
confer  with  Mr.  Chipman,  and  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
merits  of  the  Question,  previous  to  his  attending  the  Commis- 
sioners on  the  4th  of  June.  The  Surveyors  are  to  receive  pre- 
cise instructions  from  the  Agents,  and  general  Instructions 
from  the  Commissioners. 


' 


378 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


FROM   MR.   GOULBURN.^ 

Downiiifi:  Street 

March  14th  1817. 

{Private  d;  Confidential.) 
Dear  Sir, 

By  desiri^  of  Lord  Bjithurst  I  take  tliis  opportunity  of  ac- 
quainting you  that  in  co  isequenco  of  the  representations 
whicii  have  been  made  ])()th  of  the  talents  of  the  persons  se- 
lected by  the  \merican  Government  to  make  the  survey  of  the 
Boundary  and  o:'  the  incompetence  of  Mr.  Bouchette  to  under- 
take an  accurate  astronomical  survey  His  Lordship  has  en- 
tered into  communication  with  Sir  Jos.  Banks  ^  for  the  pur- 
pose of  procuring  the  assistance  of  some  Gentleman  of  gi'cat 
science  and  conseciuontly  more  able  to  check  the  proceedings 
of  the  American  Surveyors.  He  was  in  hopes  that  such  a  per- 
son would  have  been  ready  to  proceed  by  the  present  packet 
but  as  this  is  unfortunately  not  the  case  I  am  desired  to  sug- 
gest to  you  the  propriety  of  deferring  if  it  be  possible  the  as- 
tronomical part  of  the  survey  until  time  can  be  given  for  the 
arrival  of  such  a  Gentleman  in  America.  The  proceedings  of 
the  Commissioners  need  not  be  deferred  on  this  account  as  the 
other  parts  of  the  survey  may  be  proceeded  in  without  waiting 

his  arrival. 

I  have  &c. 

Henry  Goulburn. 


!    • 


TO   LORD  CASTLEREAGH. 

Boston,  State  of  Massachusetts,  5""  June,  1817. 
My  Lord. 

During  the  preceeding  Winter  I  requested  Mr.  Chipman,  His 
Majestys  Agent,  who  resides  at  St.  John  in  the  Province  of 


1  Henry  Goulburn  was  one  of  the 
British  Commissioners  at  Ghent, 
where  his  manner  and  tone  seem  to 
have  been  particularly  offensive  to 
the  Americans.  J.  Q.  Adams,  in  his 
diary,  repeatedly    refers    to  Goul- 


burn's  entire  want  of  control  over 
his  temper,  and  the  insulting  man- 
ner of  his  speech.  He  was  Under- 
Secretary  for  the  Colonies. 

2  The  President  of  the  Eoyal  So- 
ciety. 


THE  NORTHKAST   BOUNDARY 


379 


1817. 


of  ac- 

tatioiis 
5ons  se- 
y  of  the 
»  untlcr- 
lias  en- 
he  piir- 
)f  gi-eat 
•eedings 
eh  a  per- 
b  packet 
.  to  sug- 
e  the  as- 
i  for  the 
diugs  of 
ut  as  the 
,  waiting 


JJURN. 


1817. 

man,  His 
►viuce  of 

ntrol  over 
Iting  man- 
ias Under- 
s. 
Koyal  So- 


Nevv  Brunswick  to  meet  me  at  this  phico  on  the  20"'  of  May, 
one  week  prior  to  the  meeting  of  the  Conir.ussioners  under 
the  4"'  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  (Ihent,  that  I  might  exomino 
the  Alignments  and  »;vi(kMice  he  had  prepared  lo  (k'liver  to  the 
Board  in  support  of  His  Majcstys  chiim  to  the  Islands  in  the 
Bays  of  Fundy  and  Passannupioddy.  A  severe  fit  of  the  (Jout 
prevented  liis  arriving  at  the  time  appointed  and  subsequent 
to  his  recovery  contrary  winds  detained  him  nntil  the  second 
instant.  The  succeeding  day  the  Board  proceeded  to  Business, 
and  is  now  progressing  with  industry.  The  arguments  on 
the  part  of  botli  nations  will  I  hope  ))e  read  over  by  the  V2}^ 
current,  that  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  is  unnecessarily 
diffuse;  after  which  the  Agents  will  require  some  time  to  pre- 
pare replies  each  to  the  others  arguments,  so  that  a  short  ad- 
journment will  probabl}'  take  place,  Mr.  C!hipman  has  at  my 
request  introduced  in  his  memorial  the  Arguments  used  by 
Comrs.  Shirley  and  Milday  in  their  negotiations  at  Paris  in 
1750  and  the  extract  of  the  council  minutes  in  1763,  although 
he  is  of  opinion,  in  which  I  concur,  that  the  claim  on  the  part 
of  His  Majesty,  must  and  will  eventually  rest  on  the  Grant  to 
Sir  Wm.  Alexander  in  1021.  I  confess  my  principal  hiduce- 
ment  for  incorporating  in  the  present  case,  the  Arguments 
used  by  the  Commissioners  at  Paris  in  n.lO,  is  founded  more 
on  the  effect  it  may  produce  on  the  friendly  Power  to  whom 
the  case  may  be  referred,  in  the  event  of  the  Commissioners 
not  being  able  to  agree  in  a  decision,  than  on  the  Commission- 
ers in  the  first  Instance. —  I  am  satisfied  that  your  Lordship  is 
Master  of  the  Subject  and  will  not  therefore  trouble  you  sug- 
gesting my  reasons  on  this  point. 

On  the  4"'  of  June  the  Commissioners  under  the  S^^  Article 
of  the  Treaty  met  agreeably  to  adjournment  in  September; 
and  the  Agents  are  preparing  instructions  for  the  Surveyors, 
who  will  leave  this  in  a  few  days  for  the  Source  of  the  River 
St.  Croix  and  commence  running  the  due  North  Line  and  en- 
deavor to  establish  the  North  West  Angle  of  Nova  Scotia.  It 
is  proposed  that  an  exploring  party  be  sent  forward  to  endea- 
vor to  discover  the  Highlands,  while  the  Surveyors  are  pro- 
ceeding under  the  more  dillatory  process  of  actual  admeasure- 


380 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


raent.  The  American  Commissioner  was  anxious  that  the 
ascertain! nfj;  of  the  boundaries  shouhl  commence  at  the  River 
Catarac^ui  on  th(  parallt^l  of  tlie  45  De<,'n'e  of  North  Latitude; 
but  having  received  directions  from  VawI  Bathurst  to  delay  as- 
tronomical observations  until  adentlenum  who  he  would  send 
from  Knj^land  for  that  i)articular  service  arrived,  I  opposed  his 
proposition  and  succeeded  in  limiting  the  operations  to  com- 
mence at  the  Source  of  the  St.  Croix  where  simple  surveying 
alone  be  necessary.  I  fear  the  survey  and  entire  observation 
will  occupy  much  time,  and  I  am  not  less  apprehensive  of 
great  difficulty  in  establishing  the  real  Highlands  and  North- 
westermost  Source  of  the  Connecticut  River  named  in  the 
Treaty. 


TO  LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 

New  York  25"'  June  1817. 
My  Lord. 

Referring  your  Lordship  to  my  No.  4  of  the  5"'  Current,  I 
have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you  that  after  the  Agents  of  both 
nations  under  the  4"'  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  had  re- 
spectively read  their  agreements  to  the  Commissioners  and  de- 
livered them  to  the  Secretary  His  Majesty's  Agent  requested 
an  adjournment  of  the  Board  to  the  25""  of  September,  to  en- 
able him  to  reply  to  the  case  made  out  by  the  Agent  of  the 
United  States,  in  consequence  of  vvhich  the  Commissioners  on 
the  13"'  Instant  adjourned  to  meet  at  Boston  on  the  25"'  of 
September  to  hear  the  Agents  of  both  nations  in  reply  each 
to  the  other. 

The  Commissioners  under  the  5"'  Article  of  that  Treaty,  un- 
der an  imj)ression  that  it  would  expedite  the  Business,  have 
appointed  two  sets  of  Surveyors  as  suggested  in  my  No.  4  to  your 
Lordship,  who  were  to  leave  Boston  with  their  respective  chain 
Bearers  and  ax  men  &c.  &c  on  the  22'  Instant  for  the  source 
of  the  River  St.  Croix,  from  whence  they  are  to  commence 
their  operations.  They  are  furnished  with  such  instructions 
as  the  Commissioners  and  Agents  considered  necessary.  On 
the  li""  instant  the  commissioners  under  this  Article  adjourned 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


381 


lat  the 
'  River 
titiulo ; 
L'lny  as- 

1(1  S(Mld 

)stHl  his 
to  com- 
[•veying 
rvatiou 
isive  of 
North- 
.  in  the 


3  1817. 

irrent,  I 
of  both 
had  re- 

3  and  de- 
b(iuested 
r,  to  en- 
t  of  the 
oners  on 
e  25'"  of 
ply  each 

eaty,  un- 
;ss,  have 

4  to  your 
ive  chain 
LC  source 
)mmence 
bructions 
ary.  On 
iljourned 


to  the  5"'  of  May  next  to  Now  York,  unless  an  intervening? 
meetinjjf  may  be  necessary,  when  the  (^oinniissionors  of  either 
nation  (by  agreement)  may  name  a  day  and  place  for  such 
meeting.  This  I  am  led  to  think  is  improbal)lo,  as  the  Survey- 
ors will  not  have  progressed  so  far  as  to  render  such  meeting 
necessary,  liefore  winder  ^vill  im])ede  all  Fii;ld  operations,  there 
being  little  more  than  four  months  in  that  part  of  America, 
wherein  Surveyors  can  be  employed. 


TO   MR.   OGILVY. 

New  York  27"'  June  1817. 
My  dear  Sir. 

By  this  morning's  Post,  I  received  a  Packet  of  Letters  from 
Boston,  (which  arrived  there  after  I  had  left  it)  in  which  was 
your  favor  of  the  10th  instant.  I  will  cheerfully  give  you  my 
sentiments  on  the  subject  you  have  suggested,  and  beg  you 
will  at  all  times  freely  command  iny  best  services.  General 
Porter  is  in  part  right  in  saying  that  it  is  customary  with  Am- 
bassadors, Ministers  Plenii)oteutiary,  Commissioners  and  all 
other  official  characters,  while  transacting  business  with  Gen- 
tlemen of  the  same  official  Denomination  belonging  to  other 
nations  invariably  to  name  their  own  King  or  Government 
first.  For  instance  in  official  letters  of  any  other  official  acts 
emanating  from  General  Porter  to  you  wherein  he  makes  men- 
tion of  both  nations,  it  is  due  to  his  own  to  name  it  first.  With 
respect  to  the  Journal  (which  appears  to  be  the  object  of  the 
present  difference  of  opinion  i  tween  you  and  him)  I  am  of 
opinion  both  you  and  he  are  under  an  error  and  that 
neither  of  you  are  to  keep  the  Journal  or  a  duplicate  of  it,  but 
that  the  Journal  is  to  remain  with  the  Secretary  who  is  the 
proper  officer  and  in  whose  custody  all  papers  filed  are  to  re- 
main. There  can  be  but  one  Journal.  You  may  have  as  many 
copies  as  you  please  of  it,  but  if  any  of  them  vary  from  the 
original  Journal  they  must  be  corrected  by  it.  It  is  usual 
with  Commissioners  to  have  the  proceedings  of  the  day  entered 


I    ii 


382 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


h ' 


m  ' 

■ } 

id 

1 

i 

1 

h 

on  loose  paper,  and  every  day  the  last  thin^?  the  Board  does 
befon*  adjtmrniiient  is  to  make  tlie  Seeretary  read  tiie  proceed- 
ings to  prevent  omissions  or  mistakes,  or  (forrcet  the  mode  of 
expression.  On  the  adjoiirnment  of  the  Board,  the  Seeretary 
immediately  ent(!rs  the  proceedings  of  the  day  in  his  Journal, 
verbatim  from  the  loose  minntcs,  and  at  the  next  mecfting  of 
the  Board  befon;  they  proceed  to  Bnsiness,  oik;  of  the  Com- 
missioners examines  the  Jonrnal  of  th(^  preceding  day  with  the 
Secretary  who  reads  alon<l  the  ])roceedings  from  the  minutes. 
If  this  mode  is  adhered  to  no  mistake  can  be  made.  The  Sec- 
retary should  carefully  file  all  these  loose  minutes. 

I  come  now  to  the  main  object  stated  in  your  Letter,  to  wit, 
the  alternately  or  occasionally  naming  the  United  States  of 
America  before  His  Britannic  Majesty  in  the  Journal,  for  as  I 
have  before  noticed  there  can  be  but  one  Journal.  It  will  be 
best  answered  by  two  or  three  Questions  and  answers.  Ques.? 
Under  what  authority  did  His  Majesty  and  the  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America  nominate  you  Gentlemen  Commis- 
sioners. Answer.  Under  the  Treaty  of  Peace  and  Amity 
concluded  at  Ghent  the  24tli  of  December  1814.  Q.  In  the 
caption  of  that  Treaty  and  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Treaty, 
who  is  first  named.  His  Britannic  Majesty,  or  the  United  States 
of  America.  A.  His  Britannic;  Majesty  without  an  exception. 
Q.  If  the  Commissioners  who  drew  up  and  concluded  the 
Treaty  of  Ghent  invariably  named  His  Britannic  Majesty,  be- 
fore the  United  States  of  America,  ought  not  the  Commis- 
sioners who  are  now  acting  imder  the  (itli  and  7th  Articles  of 
that  Treaty  to  adopt  the  same  rule.  A.  Unipiestionably. — 
Is  it  not  customary  to  name  the  older  first,  especially  when  he 
stands  as  Parent.    A.    Certainly. — 

In  the  Journals  of  the  Commissioners  under  the  4  and  5 
Articles  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  His  Majesty's  Commissioner 
is  always  first  named.  It  was  so  also  under  the  Commission 
of  179G.  It  never  became  a  Question,  because  the  Language 
of  the  Treaty  was  adopted. 


t. 


THK  NOHTIIRAST   HOUNDAUY 


383 


d  does 
[•oceod- 
lodo  of 
3retary 
oiirnal, 
itiii},'  of 
e  ('om- 
vith  tlio 
linutea. 
'he  Scc- 

•,  to  wit, 
tates  of 
for  as  I 
j  will  bo 

Ques.? 
ntof  the 
[^ommis- 
l  Amity 

In  the 
}  Treaty, 
lid  States 
cception. 
ided  the 
esty,  be- 
Commis- 
rticles  of 
uably. — 
when  he 

4  and  5 
nissioner 
nmission 

anguage 


TO   THE   COMMIHSKJNEllH    UNDEU  THE   SIXTH    AND   HEVEN IH 
AllTICLES   OF  THE  TllEATY   OF   GHENT. 

New  York  14  July  1817. 

HiRS. 

I  yesterday  received  a  Letter  from  Mr.  Orne,  Secretary  to 
the  ('otnmissioMcrs  under  tlu*  '>"'  Artiele  of  the  Treaty  eon- 
clnded  at  (Jhcnt  in  Deccnibcr  IS14,  between  His  liritanniek 
Majesty  r,  d  tlie  United  States  of  Ameriea.  enclosing  a  copy 
of  a  resolnfion  passed  ))y  your  Board  on  the  3*'  of  June,  on 
the  subject  of  ascertaining  the  point  at  which  the  45  degree 
of  North  Latitude,  continued  West  from  the  North westermost 
head  of  tin;  Connecticut  river  strikes  the  Kiver  Iroquois,  or 
Cataracjuy.  Tliat  as  the  establisliing  this  was  an  object  eciui'Hy 
the  duty  of  the  Commissioners  under  the  5*"  Article  of  the 
Treaty,  as  well  of  you  (rentlemen  Commissioners  under  the 
G"'  &  7"'  Ai'ti(!l(\s,  it  was  desirable  that  tluiy  cooperated  with 
you  in  ascertaining  and  establishing  the  same;  and  that  you 
proposed  "  a  joint  meeting  of  the  lioards  with  the  Astrono- 
mers emp.jyed  by  them  respectively  should  be  held  at  or  in 
the  vicinity  of  S*  Regis  as  early  as  it  may  suit  the  convenience 
of  the  Commissioners  under  the  5"'  Article  for  the  purpose  of 
comparing  the  results  of  the  several  observations  made  under 
the  direction  of  the  respective  Boards  and  awarding  thereon"; 
also  that  you  hoped  the  meeting,  if  acceded  to  might  not  be 
delayed  beyond  the  month  of  September. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  a(!(piaint  you  that  early  in  May,  I  re- 
ceived a  Letter  from  His  Majesty's  Colonial  Department  of 
State  dated  the  14*''  of  Mai*eh  last  informing  me  that  a  Gentle- 
man would  without  loss  of  time  be  sent  to  me  from  London  to 
execute  the  Astronomical  Parts  of  the  Service  enjoined  by  the 
G"*  Article  of  the  Treaty,  and  directing  me  to  proceed  in  the 
meantime  on  the  surveys  whit  ;)rm  another  part  of  the  service. 
In  June  therefore  when  the  Board  (under  the  5"'  Article)  met 
at  Boston,  I  communicated  to  Mr.  Van  Ness,  my  brother  Com- 
missioner, the  purport  of  the  Letter,  in  conse(pience  of  which, 
we  immediately  detached  the  Surveyor  to  the  Source  of  the 
River  St.  Croix  with  directions  to  commence  and  proceed  in 


384 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


.!  ■; 


runiiinpf  the  due  North  Line,  and  it  was  agreed  by  Mr.  Van 
Ness  and  myself,  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  Astronomer  from 
London,  he  and  the  Astronomer  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  should  forthwith  proceed  to  establish 
the  Parallel  of  Latitude  directed  in  the  5th  Article  of  the 
Treaty.  The  Gentleman  has  not  yet  arrived,  but  is  momently 
expected. 

I  feel  assured  that  Mr.  Van  Ness  will,  as  well  as  myself, 
accept  the  polite  proposal  contained  in  your  resolution  of  a 
joint  CO  operation  of  the  two  l)oards  in  ascertaining  a  point 
necessary  to  be  established  under  the  r)th  and  (5  articles  of  the 
Treaty. —  I  shall  by  this  days  mail  write  him  on  the  Subject 
and  request  him  to  communicate  to  you  his  determination. 
If  he  acceeds,  which  I  take  for  granted  he  will,  on  the  arrival 
of  the  Astronomer  from  England  I  will  immediately  proceed 
with  him  to  St.  Regis,  t^'ere  to  meet  you  Gentlemen  and  Mr. 
Van  Ness  with  the  four  Astronomers  finally  to  establish  the 
Point  where  the  45th  degree  of  North  Latitude  extended  from 
tlie  North  Westermost  head  of  Connecticut  River  intersects 
the  River  Cateraquy. —  It  is  proper  for  me  to  add,  that  if  the 
arrival  of  the  astronomer,  should  be  delayed  beyond  the  1st  of 
September  (an  event  by  no  means  probable)  it  will  not  be  in 
my  power  personally  to  attend,  beeaus(;  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners under  the  4th  Article  of  the  Treaty  are  to  meet  at  Bos- 
ton on  the  25th  of  that  month;  but  I  wiU  notwithstanding 
send  on  the  astronomer  to  unite  with  Mr.  Ellicott  ^  in  ascer- 
taining the  parallel  of  Latitude,  which  will  in  fill  probability 
be  confirmed  by  Mr.  Van  Ness  and  myself,  particularly  if  it 
accords  with  the  observations  and  rcsidts  of  the  two  Gentle- 
men now  employed  by  you  for  the  same  i)urpose  —  It  Avill  nat- 
urally occur  to  you,  that  it  will  be  prudent  for  Mr.  Ellicott  to 
remain  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Regi3,  ready  to  commence  the 
astronomical  observations. 


1  Andrew  Ellicott   was   born    in  the  Federal  City.    In  1813  he  was 

PeTinsylvania  in  1754.     He  was  em-  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics 

ployed  as  a  surveyor  by  the  U.  S.  at  West  Point,  a  post  he  held  until 

Government  on  various  occasions,  his  death  in  1820. 
notably  in  the  work  of  laying  out 


THE   NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


385 


^Ir.  Van 

er  from 
United 
•stublisli 
3  of  the 
omently 

i  myself, 
ion  of  a 
;  a  point 
es  of  the 
;  Subject 
nination. 
le  arrival 
-f  proceed 
1  and  Mr. 
ihlish  the 
idcd  from 
intersects 
hat  if  the 
the  1st  of 
not  be  in 
'  Commis- 
H't  at  Bos- 
listanding 
in  ascer- 
robability 
ilarly  if  it 
vo  Gentle- 
t  will  nat- 
^^llicott  to 
tneuce  the 


TO  ME.  VAN  NESS. 


Sir 


New  York  25  August  1817. 


I  have  the  Honor  to  acquaint  yon  with  the  an'ival  of  Dr. 
Tiarks  His  Majestys  Astronomer  under  the  5th,  Gth  and  7th 
Articles  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  at  this  'ice  in  the  last  Packet 
from  Enjjlaud.  1  —  Mr.  Ellicott  the  Astronomer  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  is  also  at  present  in  this  City,  who  informs 
me  that  lie  has  by  liis  observations  established  the  point  where 
the  parallel  of  the  45  Deforce  of  Latitude  strikes  the  River 
Cataraquy,^  and  that  his  duty  at  "West  Point  at  present  pre- 
vents his  attending  Dr.  Tiarks  to  St.  Regis ;  he  adds  that  even 
was  it  in  his  power  it  would  be  unnecessary,  because  he  is  sat- 
isfied his  observations  and  their  results  are  correct,  and  that 
the  Season  is  so  far  advanced,  as  to  prevent  Dr.  Tiarks  doing 
anything  more  until  next  Spring,  than  ascertaining  whether 
the  point  established  by  him  (Mr.  Ellicott)  at  the  River  Cata- 
raquy  is  cori'eet  or  not. 

Dr.  Tiarks  will  proceed  in  the  morning  for  St.  Regis  for 
this  purpose ;  should  you  differ  in  opinion  with  Mr.  Ellicott, 
and  prefer  having  an  Astronomer  to  ol)serve  at  the  same  time 
with  Dr.  Tiarks,  to  proceed  to  send  him  to  St.  Regis,  perhaps 
you  may  wish  to  be  there  in  person.  It  is  not  in  my  power  to 
go  thither,  as  the  Commissioners  under  the  4th  Article  of  the 
Treaty  meet  at  Boston  on  the  25  of  September. 

Mr.  Ellicott  also  told  me,  that  at  the  request  of  the  Presi- 
dent, he  should  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  establish  and  run 
the  parallel  of  the  45  Degree  of  North  Latitude  as  early  in  the 
Spring  as  the  weather  will  permit.  I  beg  leave  to  add  that 
Dr.  Tiarks  will  be  ready  to  accompany  him. 


813  lie  was 
ilathematics 
le  held  until 


1  This  gontloraan  was  a  Swiss  by 
birth.  Little  seems  to  be  kaown  of 
him.     He  died  about  1830. 

2  The  point  tlius  established  by 
Mr.  Ellicott  was  adopted  by  the  Com- 

2S 


missioners  under  the  sixth  article  as 
tlie  starting-point  of  their  part  of 
the  line.  See  their  award  published 
in  Treaties  and  Conventions  of  the 
United  States. 


1 

1 

( 

:  ^    ^ 

IHI 

. 

B 

i 

l' 

'1* 

■   i 

'    i  ■ 
1 

1 1 


386 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


TO    LORD    CASTLEREAGH. 

New  York  2''  September  1817. 
My  Lord, 

Your  Lordships  Letter  of  the  Gth  of  June,  annoiiucing  that 
I  shoiihl  shortly  be  joined  by  Dr.  Tiarks,  His  Majesty  astron- 
omer under  tlie  5th  and  Gth  Artitdes  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  I 
have  had  tlie  Honor  to  receive. —  Dr.  Tiarks  has  since  arrived, 
and  gone  to  St.  Regis  on  that  part  of  the  lliver  St.  Lawrence 
designated  under  the  Treaty  of  1783,  by  the  name  of  the  L'O- 
quois  or  Cataraquy,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  paraUel 
of  the  45  Degree  of  North  Latitude  which  strikes  that  River, 
as  reported  a  few  weeks  since  by  the  American  Astronomer 
Mr.  Ellicott  is  correct,  who  makes  to  correspond  witliin  two 
or  three  feet  of  Hollands  parallel  in  17G8,  or  thereabout.  I 
regret  to  add  from  Mr.  EUicott's  information  that  this  opera- 
tion will  occupy  the  whole  of  the  remainder  of  the  season  in 
that  cold  (ilimate.  As  early  in  the  Spring  however  as  the 
weather  will  permit,  I  will  take  care  to  have  the  astronomers 
employed  in  establishing  the  parallel  of  Latitude  towards  the 
North  Westermost  head  of  the  Connecticut  River.  The  Sur- 
veyors are  now  engaged  in  running  the  due  North  Line,  and 
searching  for  the  Highlands  from  the  Source  of  the  River 
St.  Croix. — I  have  every  reason  to  hope  the  Arguments  of 
the  Agents  appointed  under  the  4th  Article  of  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent,  will  be  closed  at  the  meeting  of  the  Comnussioners  at 
Boston  on  the  25th  instant,  and  I  am  sanguine  in  my  expecta- 
tion that  the  result  will  prove  favorable  to  the  claims  of  His 
Majesty.  However,  as  it  is  possil)le  I  may  be  disappointed  in 
my  expectation,  I  shall  be  prepared,  as  far  as  anticipation  will 
permit,  with  my  report  in  the  event  of  our  disagreeing.  The 
report  I  am  fearful  will  be  more  than  ordinarily  long,  as  it 
will  contain  no  small  part  of  the  arguments  of  the  Agents,  as 
well  as  my  own  remarks. 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


387 


TO   MR.   OGILVY. 


r  1817. 

iiiig  that 
^  astron- 
Ghont,  I 
!  arrived, 
jawrenco 
I  the  Iro- 
e  parallel 
at  River, 
tronomor 
ithiu  two 
about.    I 
his  opera- 
season  in 
er  as  the 
:,ronoiners 
wards  the 

The  Sur- 
Line,  and 
the  River 
inients  of 

Treaty  of 
;sioners  at 
y  expecta- 
ms  of  His 
pointed  in 

)ation  will 
nng.     The 

oug,  as  it 
Agents,  as 


New  York  22  October,  1817. 
My  dear  Sir, 

Your  hotter  of  the  22nd  ult"  and  private  letter  of  the  same 
date  from  Rapid  Plat  Upper  Canada,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  re- 
ceive while  at  Boston  from  whence  I  returned  to  this  place 
yesterday.  I  was  so  much  engaged  while  there  during  a  short 
Session  as  not  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  reply  to  your  favor, 
I  therefore  avail  myself  of  the  first  moment  on  my  return. 

It  was  certainly  desirable  that  Dr.  Tiarl\":;  should  have 
brought  out  with  him  all  the  instruments  neeessary  for  the 
accurate  observations  committed  to  him  by  His  Majestys  Gov- 
ernment, indeed  he  did  bring  all  with  the  exception  of  the  Re- 
fracting Circle,  and  I  should  have  detained  him  at  this  place 
until  its  arrival,  had  not  Mr.  Ellicott,  the  American  Astron- 
omer told  Dr.  Tiarks  that  there  was  at  St.  Regis  such  an  in- 
strument appertaining  to  the  American  Government,  much  at 
his  Service,  and  that  he  would  write  to  General  Porter,  (or 
some  other  Gentleman  who  had  the  charge  of  it,  I  do  not  re- 
call which)  to  allow  Dr.  Tiarks  the  use  of  it.  I  am  happy  to 
learn  that  General  Porter  has  politely  directed  it  to  be  deliv- 
ered to  him,  and  hope  before  this  he  has  completed  his  obser- 
vations at  St.  Regis.  As  he  is  engaged  under  the  5  Article, 
it  is  proper  that  all  sums  necessary  for  that  Service  and  his 
expenses  should  be  paid  by  me,  his  drafts  therefore  on  me  will 
be  honored.  If  you  have  advanced  him  money,  let  him  draw 
in  your  favor  on  me  for  it. 

Scientific  men  are  generally  absent  in  character,  I  was  there- 
fore not  surprised  that  Dr.  Tiarks  had  forgotten  he  had  a  let- 
ter for  you  from  me,  nor  that  he  had  placed  it,  in  so  safe  a 
place  as  to  be  out  of  sight.  As  matters  have  turned  out,  it 
was  not  material.  He  appears  an  amiable  correct  character: 
of  his  abilities  I  have  no  doubt,  yet  let  me  add  I  am  not  com- 
petent to  decide. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  contrary  to  my  ex- 
pectation, Mr.  Holmes  the  American  Commissioner  and  myself 
under  the  4th  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  have  come  to  a 


p 


1 

! 

1 

i 
i    1 

1 

: 

388 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


^ 


decision,  an  event  I  little  expected.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  Holmes 
to  add  that  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Business  committed 
to  him  and  me,  he  has  conducted  hiii  elf  with  candor  and 
Liberality,  and  although  much  argument  has  taken  place  be- 
tween him  and  me  previous  to  our  coming  to  a  decision,  it  was 
conducted  with  courtesy,  impartiality  and  perfect  good  hu- 
mour. The  decision  is  executed  on  paper  at  present,  for  fear 
of  accident  by  death  or  otherwise  to  him  or  me,  but  we  meet 
here  on  the  24th  of  November  to  execute  it  when  engrossed  on 
parchment  when  it  will  be  transmitted  to  both  Governments, 
and  duplicates  delivered  to  the  Agents.  I  may  safely  add  that 
no  commission  of  similar  magnitude  has  been  gone  through 
and  decided  in  so  short  a  period  and  at  so  trifling  an  expense. 
The  Agents  of  both  (roveruments  memorialed  the  Board  to  be 
further  heard  and  for  an  adjournment  to  next  Spring  for  them 
to  prepare  their  Arguments  by  way  of  rejoinder.  The  Com- 
missioners declined  acceeding  to  their  request,  under  a  convic- 
tion that  they  were  fully  possessed  of  the  merits  of  the  case 
submitted  to  them.  An  adjournment  of  the  Board  for  six  days 
took  place,  during  which  Mr.  Holmes  and  myself  conferred  in 
private  and  eventually  agreed  upon  a  decision.  In  doing  this 
some  little  has  been  yielded  on  both  sides.  This  in  my  opin- 
ion was  preferable  to  our  reporting  the  Grounds  of  our  differ- 
ing in  opinion  and  by  that  means  rendering  a  reference  to 
some  friendly  Sovereign  to  decide  necessary,  whose  decision 
in  all  probability  would  not  have  been  as  agreeable  to  both 
nations ;  and  a  measure  pregnant  with  delay  and  expense. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  the  copy  of  a  letter  from  the  foreign 
office,  from  which  you  will  perceive  Col.  Bouchette  is  no 
longer  to  act  as  surveyor  under  the  6"'  &  7"'  Articles  of  the 
Treaty  of  Ghent. 

TO  LORD  CASTLEREAGH. 

New  York  25  October  1817. 
My  Lord. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  inform  your  Lordship,  that  the  Com- 
missioners appointed  by  virtue  of  the  4th  Article  of  the  Treaty 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


389 


Holmes 
QTiiitted 
lor  and 
ilaee  be- 
11,  it  was 
ood  hn- 
for  fear 
we  meet 
ossed  on 
•nments, 
add  that 
through 
expense, 
ard  to  be 
for  them 
'he  Com- 
a  convic- 
the  case 
:•  six  days 
iferred  in 
[oing  this 
my  opin- 
ur  differ- 
ereuce  to 
decision 
to  both 
jense. 
le  foreign 
itte  is  no 
es  of  the 


)er  1817. 

the  Corn- 
he  Treaty 


of  Ghent  met  at  Boston  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  pursu- 
ant to  adjournment,  on  the  2.")th  of  September  last  past,  to  liear 
the  Agents  of  both  Nations,  each  in  reply  to  the  others  Argu- 
ments delivered  to  the  Board  at  its  Session  in  June  last.  On 
the  first  of  October  the  agents  concluded  reading  their  Argu- 
ments and  on  the  2''  the  Commissioners  agreed  to  adjourn  to 
the  8th  of  the  same  Month,  under  an  impression  that  from 
the  Evidence  already  exhibited  by  the  Agents,  they  were  fully 
possessed  of  the  merits  of  the  Question  submitted  to  them,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  attempting  to  come  to  a  decision  thereon. 

I  had  previously  conferred  with  His  Majestys  Agent  on  this 
point ;  who  concurred  in  opinion  with  me,  that  a  further  hear- 
ing of  the  Agents  by  rejoinder,  would  be  useless,  and  tend 
only  to  prolong  the  discussion  and  create  expense.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  I  was  aware  that  if  a  decision  was  not  made  on  or 
before  the  1st  of  December  ensuing,  another  Commissioner 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States  must  be  appointed,  as  Mr. 
Holmes,  the  present  Commissioner  had  been  elected  a  member 
of  Congress,  and  by  the  Constitution  of  these  States,  he  would 
be  obliged  to  resign  his  appointment  as  Commissioner  prior  to 
his  taking  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  In  such 
an  Event  the  case  must  have  been  reargued,  and  the  proceed- 
ings necessarily  drawn  out  to  a  greater  length.  I  had  also 
reason  to  believe,  from  the  general  tenor  of  Mr.  Holmes'  con- 
duct, that  it  was  more  than  doubtful,  whether  another  Com- 
missioner would  possess  that  candor  and  Discrimination,  I  had 
in  every  instance  experienced  in  this  Gentleman. 

In  the  discussion  which  took  place  between  tlie  Commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  the  United  States  and  myself,  in  the 
interval  from  the  2nd  to  the  9th  of  October,  I  endeavored  to 
convince  him,  that  by  the  express  words  used  in  the  Grant  of 
King  James  to  Sir  William  Alexander  in  1621,  to  wit,  "in- 
eludens  et  comprehendens  intra  praedictas  maris  oras  litto- 
rales  ac  enrmn  circumferentkts,  a  mari  ad  mare,  omnes  terras 
continentes  cum  fluminibus,  torrentibus,  sinibus,  littoribus, 
insulis,  aut  maribus  jacentibus  prope  aut  infra  sex  leucas  ad 
aliquam  earundem  partem  ex  occidentali,  boreali,  vel  orientali 
partibus  orarum  littoralium  et  praecinctuum  earundem,"  all  the 

25* 


r- 


%^  4.1 


'Ul,! 


iris  'i 


1 


;   ,< 


Jll^iv;        ,1 


J  I 


390 


CORRESPONDENCE   OP  TTIOMAS   BARCLAY 


IslMiids  ill  tlio  Bay  of  Pussamaciuoddy  and  ilio  Island  of  (rrand 
Manan  in  the  Bay  of  Fnndv  wore  included  within  the  Limits 
of  that  Grant.  For  that  althouf^h  a  line  drawn  from  Cajje  St. 
Marys  (one  of  the  boundary  Jiines  deseribod  in  the  Grant  to 
Sir  William  Ah^xauder)  to  the  Jiiver  St.  Croix  would  not  in- 
clude all  the  Islands  within  it;  still  a  parallel  Line  six  leagues 
distant  to  the  South  West  would  embrace  them  — and  that  the 
Words  "  sex  leucas  "  referred  to  "  earum  eircnmferentias  "  and 
"  praeeinctuum  earundem,"  and  not  to  "oras  littorales"  nor 
"orarum  littoralium." — That  the  Line  from  St.  Marys  Bay  to 
the  Kiver  St.  ( 'roix  was  tlie  ''  cireumferentias  "  and  the  "  prae- 
cinctuum"  mentioned  in  the  Grant,  and  that  the  "  sex  leucas" 
was  to  be  extended  from  that  Line  and  not  from  the  Coasts  or 
Shores  of  Nova  Scotia. —  To  this  the  American  Commissioner 
replied,  that  it  was  unnecessary  for  him  and  me  to  enter  upon 
the  constriiction  given  by  me  on  the  Words  of  the  Grant,  as 
the  Crown  had  decided  it  repeatedly  in  the  Commissions  to  the 
Governors  of  Nova  Scotia,  wherein  the  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia 
were  defined ;  and  he  referred  to  the  Commission  to  Montague 
Wilmot  Ksqr.  in  17G3,  wherein  all  Islands  on  the  North  and 
East  within  six  Leagues  of  the  Coasts,  are  declared  to  be 
within  the  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  to  tlie  Southward  all 
Islands  within  forty  leagues  of  the  Coast,  but  that  to  the 
Westward  no  mention  was  made  of  Islands  in  the  Commis- 
sion to  Mr.  Wilmot,  nor  in  any  other  of  the  Commissions  to 
the  Governors  of  Nova  Scotia ;  if,  therefore,  he  were  to  allow 
this  as  an  accidental  omission,  I  could  not  in  justice  require 
him  to  admit  more  than  was  given  on  the  North  and  East, 
which  would  be  all  Islands  within  six  leagues  of  the  Western 
part  of  the  Coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  that  this  would  comport 
with  the  Words  of  Sir  William  Alexanders  Grant  ''infra 
sex  leucas  ad  aliquam  earundem  partem  ex  occideutali,  bore- 
ali  vol  orientali  partibus  "  &c  &c  &c, — but  that  the  six  Leagues 
must  be  measured  from  the  Shores  and  Coasts,  and  not  from 
the  circumferences  of  the  Boundaries. —  I  suggested  that  the 
Commissions  were  generally  penned  in  haste,  by  Clerks  in  the 
public  offices,  and  intended  merely  as  instructions  to  Gov- 
ernors, not  as  Acts  which  were  to  bind  his  Majesty  on  other 


THE  NORTH KAST  BOUNDARY 


391 


if  (Irand 
Q  Limits 
Cape  St. 
a rant  to 
il  not  in- 
:  leajjfuos 
.  that  the 
,ias  "  and 
lIos"  nor 
s  Bay  to 
10  "  prao- 
s leucas " 
Coasts  or 
iiiissioner 
iter  upon 
Grant,  as 
ons  to  tho 
»va  Scotia 
Montague 
slorth  and 
red  to  be 
hward  all 
at  to  the 

Conimis- 
issions  to 
e  to  allow 
30  re(iuii'e 
and  East, 
3  Western 
d  comport 
lit  "  infra 
itali,  bore- 
x  Leagues 

not  from 
that  the 
3rks  in  the 
s  to  Gov- 
y  on  other 


points  and  the  foreign  Powers;  because,  if  Declarations  con- 
tained in  sncli  Coininissions  could  not  bind  foreign  Powers,  it 
was  unreasonable,  that  tho  Power  making  such  Declarations, 
and  possibly  with  private  views,  confined  to  its  own  Subjects, 
should  bo  bound  thereby.  In  support  of  this  Doctrine,  I 
stated  several  cases,  and  in  some  measure  brought  the  Ameri- 
can C/'ommissioner  to  think  there  was  not  so  much  weight  in 
his  objection,  as  he  originally  imagined.  I  assured,  and  en- 
deavored to  convince  him,  tliat  from  the  Evidence  before  the 
Board,  it  was  manifest,  that  all  Islands  in  (iuestion  were  in- 
cluded in  the  (Jrant  to  Sir  William  Alexander,  and  conse- 
quently appertained  to  His  Majesty;  and  (tailed  on  him  to 
unite  with  me  in  decision  to  that  effect.  This  he  of  conrse  de- 
clined ;  remarking  that  such  a  decision  would  deprive  the 
United  States  of  Moose  Island  and  the  two  adjoining  small 
Islands,  named  Dudley  and  Frederick,  whi«!h  had  been  de- 
cided to  them  by  tho  Convention  or  Treaty  in  \H0\]  and  by  the 
Supplemental  Treaty  in  1807,  neither  of  which  it  was  true  had 
been  ratified  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  but  that  they 
were  evidence,  that  Great  Britain  either  considered  those  Isl- 
ands to  belong  to  the  United  States,  or  was  willing  to  acknow- 
ledge them  as  such,  i)rovided  the  United  States  would  relinquish 
claim  to  all  the  other  Islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy. 
He  added  that  although  he  was  determined  not  to  execute  a 
decision  whereby  ail  the  Islands  in  question  were  to  be  ad- 
judged to  belong  to  His  Majesty,  yet  he  was  willing  to  come 
to  a  determination  which  should  comport  with  the  principles 
agreed  upon  by  Earl  Liverpool,  then  Lord  Ilawkesbury,  and 
Mr.  King  in  180^},  and  by  Lord  Holland  and  Lord  Auckland 
and  Mr.  Monroe  and  Mr.  Pinkney  in  1807,  That  if  I  would 
not  consent  to  this,  ho  was  ready  to  report,  jointly  or  sepa- 
rately, stating  the  points  on  which  we  differed,  and  the  grounds 
on  which  our  respective  opinions  had  been  formed,  and  to 
leave  it  to  the  two  Governments  to  refer  the  report  to  some 
friendly  Sovereign  or  State  for  decision, —  which  decision  could 
not  possibly  be  more  adverse  to  the  claims  of  the  United  States 
and  might  be  more  favorable,  than  that  I  had  proposed.  That 
where  nothing  more  could  be  lost,  and  something  might  be 


l!!fl 


1 


392 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  HAUCLAY 


gained,  it  was  his  duty  to  refer  the  question  to  th(^  Tribunal 
pointed  Out  by  the  Treaty  in  the  event  of  the  Commissioners 
not  coming  to  a  decision.  In  adjourning  for  that  day  (the 
5th  of  October)  I  communicated  the  substance  of  the  confer- 
ences, wliich  had  taken  place  between  the  Commissioner  on 
the  part  of  the  United  States  and  myself,  to  Ills  Majesty's 
Agent.  His  opinion  coincided  with  mine  in  the  foUowing 
particulars. — That  in  the  event  of  the  report  l)eing  referred 
to  a  friendly  Sovereign,  it  would  naturally  be  placed  by  him, 
in  the  hands  of  one  of  His  Ministers,  or  Law  officers,  with  di- 
rections to  examine  the  reports,  and  to  recommend  the  deci- 
sion which  ought  to  be  made.  —  That  it  was  probable  that 
either  from  want  of  time,  or  other  cause,  the  attenti  neces- 
sary to  form  a  correct  opinion  might  not  be  given,  oi  nat  the 
Arguments  in  the  report  might  not  be  fully  comprehended; 
and  that  such  Sovereign  being  called  upon  by  both  nations, 
in  the  character  of  a  Friend,  would  probably  adopt  the  Terms 
agreed  upon  (though  not  ratified)  by  the  two  nations,  in  the 
Convention  of  1803  and  supplemental  convention  in  1807. 
That  if  this  should  be  the  Line  pursued  by  such  friendly 
Power,  still  it  would  remain  a  matter  of  doubt  to  whom  it 
would  decide  the  Island  of  Grand  Manan  to  belong. —  That 
this  Island  was  of  more  value  to  His  Majesty,  in  point  of  Ter- 
ritory, than  all  the  Islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy ; 
and  in  a  military  and  naval  Point  of  View  of  much  greater 
importance.  —  That  it  commands  the  North  West  Side  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  is  immediately  opposite  that  part  of  the  Ameri- 
can Coast,  where  the  waters  which  pass  into  and  out  of  the 
Bay  of  Passamaquoddy  at  a  place  called  West-quoddy  passage 
and  —  that  His  Majesty  by  l)eing  possessed  of  this  Island, 
would  have  it  in  his  power,  in  the  event  of  a  War,  to  prevent 
American  Privateers  from  sheltering  themselves  in  that  Pas- 
sage and  to  protect  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick  and  that 
part  of  Nova  Scotia  which  lies  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy  —  That 
unless  the  six  leagues  should  be  measured  from  the  line  de- 
scribed in  the  Grant  to  Sir  William  Alexander,  from  St.  Marys 
Bay  to  the  River  St.  Croix,  this  Island  would  not  be  compre- 
hended within  the  Limits  of  Nova  Scotia,  but  only  a  small 


ill » 


THE   NORTHEAST   BOUNDARY 


393 


rribunal 
issionors 
(lay  (the 
Q  confer- 
ioiior  on 
^lajosty's 

ollovviiifJC 
referred 
I  by  him, 
,  with  (li- 
the deci- 
ible  that 
neees- 
1   nat  the 
■eh  ended ; 
1  nations, 
:he  Terms 
ns,  in  the 
in  1807. 
1  friendly 
)  whom  it 
ig_That 
nt  of  Ter- 
laquoddy ; 
ill  greater 
Side  the 
;he  Anieri- 
ont  of  the 
ly  passage 
lis  Island, 
;o  prevent 
that  Pas- 
i  and  that 
dy  — That 
■le  line  de- 
St.  Marys 
36  compre- 
.y  a  small 


part  of  it, —  and  that  the  friendly  power  might  possibly  decide 
in  favor  of  tlie  United  States,  or  that  the  small  portion  of  it 
belonged  to  His  Majesty,  and  the  remainder  to  those  States  — 
that  either  event  would  be  extremely  prejndicial  to  His  Ma- 
jesty's Interest  —  that  in  the  nnmber  of  nnpleasant  eonse- 
qnences  which  wonld  attend  a  reference?  to  a  friendly  Sovereign 
or  State,  independantly  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  decision,  are  the 
time  it  would  occupy,  and  the  expense  attending  such  an  appeal. 
His  Majestys  Agent  further  agreed  with  me,  that  Moose 
Island  is  of  no  moment  to  His  Majesty,  It  had  never  been 
gi'anted  by  him  to  any  of  his  Sultjccts:  on  the  contrary  the 
State  of  Massachusci  s  had  granted  it  to  citizens  of  the 
United  States  —  admitting  that  the  friendly  Sovereign  should 
decide,  that  this  Island  did  belong  to  His  Majesty,  the  present 
Possessors  would,  on  taking  the  Oaths  of  Allegiance,  be  con- 
firmed in  their  titles  to  the  Lands  they  held,  while  their  senti- 
ments would  probably  remain  favorable  to  the  Interests  of  the 
United  States,  and  from  their  having  access  to  His  Majestys 
other  Territories,  would  in  time  of  War  have  it  in  their  power 
to  communicate  information  to  His  Majestys  Enemies.  That 
this  Island  lay  within  less  than  half  a  mile  of  the  American 
Shores,  and  consequently  was  at  any  moment  liable  to  be 
taken  possession  of,  unless  defended  by  strong  works,  and  a 
competent  Garrison  —  That  it  was  not  worth  this  expense, 
nor,  indeed  either  in  an  agricultural  point  of  view,  or  for  a 
fishery,  of  any  value  to  the  Crown. — That  Frederick  and  Dud- 
ley Islands,  adjacent  thereto,  were  merely  Rocks  in  the  Bay  of 
Passamaquoddy,  extremely  small  and  incapable  of  improve- 
ment, or,  indeed,  of  being  made  useful  in  any  manner  what- 
ever. If  an  amicable  decision  could  be  effected  by  giving 
Moose  Island  with  Dudley  and  Frederick  Islands,  its  natural 
appendages  to  the  United  States,  his  Majestys  Agent  thought 
it  would  be  an  advantageous  adjustment  on  the  part  of  His 
Majesty,  and  infinitely  preferable  to  leaving  the  question  to  be 
decided  by  a  friendly  Sovereign.  Accordingly  when  I  met 
the  American  Commissioner  on  the  6"*  of  October,  I  stated  to 
him,  that  I  had  reflected  on  what  he  had  suggested,  and  not- 
withstanding my  conviction,  that  His  Majesty's  claim  to  all 


394 


COURESI'ONDENCE   OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


the  Islands  was  supported  }»y  inoontrovertiblt'  evidt'iieo,  that  I 
was  willinji^,  in  order  that  a  decision  mi^^lit  bo  nuido  in  prefer- 
ence to  a  report,  to  yiehl  np  a  part  of  the  Islands  claimed  by 
His  Majesty,  to  wit,  Moose  Island  and  Dudley  and  Frederick 
Islands,  on  condition  that  all  the  other  Islands  in  the  Bay  of 
I*assanuiquoddy,  and  (Jrand  Manan,  should  be  decided  to  be- 
long to  His  Majesty,  lie  appeared  astonished  that  eitluir  my- 
self, or  his  Majestys  Aj^ent,  had  ever  been  serious  in  the  claim 
for  Grand  Manan :  represented  its  lying  directly  opposite  the 
American  Shores,  and  without  the  Limits  of  Sir  William  Alex- 
anders (irant,  except  a  fractional  part  of  it;  and  that  he  never 
could  consent  to  decide  that  this  Island  belonged  to  Ilis  Maj- 
esty. To  these  renuirks  I  replied,  by  declaring,  that  unless  he 
acceded  to  my  last  proposal,  the  appeal  should  be  made  to  a 
friendly  Sovereign  or  State.  Eventually  he  agreed  to  give  up 
Grand  Manan,  provided  I  would  add  tlie  Island  of  Campo 
Bello  to  the  three  I  had  offered  to  give  to  the  United  States. 
I  told  him  he  had  my  ultimatum,  an  ultimatum  I  had  brought 
myself  with  much  difficulty  to  offer,  wliile  under  a  conviction 
that  His  Majesty's  Title  to  Moose,  Dudley  and  Frederick  Isl- 
ands was  beyond  dispute  —  It  was  not  until  the  morning  of 
the  9"',  that  I  could  induce  the  Commissioner  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  to  agree  to  the  Terms  I  had  proposed,  and 
then  with  great  reluctance  and  apparent  Hesitation,  and  only 
on  condition  that  I  would  tinite  with  him  in  a  Letter  to  both 
Governments,  expressive  of  our  opinion  that  the  Eastern  Pas- 
sage from  the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy  was  common  to  both 
nations.  This  letter  he  penned  while  I  wrote  the  decision,  but 
the  Letter  was  so  corrected  by  me,  as  to  render  it  a  mere  mat- 
ter of  opinion,  not  official,  on  the  part  of  the  Commissioners 
and  consequently  not  binding  on  either  of  the  nations.  Still 
I  beg  leave  to  observe  to  your  Lordship,  that  I  think  the 
United  States,  in  justice,  and  for  preserving  harmony  be- 
tween the  two  nations,  should  be  permitted  the  use  of  this 
Eastern  Passage,  or  outlet  into  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 

I  have  the  Honor  to  enclose  herewith  a  copy  of  that  Letter, 
and  of  the  decision,  at  present  executed  on  paper.  As  the 
copying  of  the  Arguments  of  the  Agents,  and  of  other  papers 


THK   NORTIIE...T  BOUNDARY 


395 


JO,  that  1 
n  prcfcr- 
linied  by 
Frederick 
le  Bay  of 
led  to  be- 
ithor  iny- 
the  elaiiii 
)Osito  the 
am  Alex- 
,  he  never 
His  Maj- 
unless  he 
tiade  to  a 

0  give  up 
)f  Campo 
I'd  States. 

1  brought 
jonviction 
leriek  Isl- 
lorning  of 
lie  part  of 
)osed,  and 

and  only 
cv  to  both 
stern  Pas- 
n  to  both 
vision,  but 
mere  niat- 
nissioners 
)ns.  Still 
think  the 
■mony  be- 
se  of  this 

lat  Letter, 
■.  As  the 
icr  papers 


rociuired  some  Weeks,  we  ndjournod  to  the  24th  of  November, 
then  to  re-cxecute  the  deeision,  to  be  engrossed  on  Parchnunit, 
and  to  deliver  to  the  Agents  tlio  documents  directed  by  the 
Treaty:  all  which  will  be  done  before  the  close  of  that  month. 

It  would  be  witlilioldiiig  a  Tribute  justly  due  to  tin;  Talents, 
Industry,  and  uui-cjiiiitted  attention,  of  Mr.  (7hi[)man,  His 
Majestys  Agent,  throughout  the  discussion  which  has  taken 
place,  and  to  his  ]»rud(Uico  in  securing  some  valual)l(^  ])aper8 
used  under  the  Commission  to  which  he  was  Agent  in  1790, 
did  I  not  state  to  vour  Lordshiii  how  ablv  he  has  advocated 
His  Majestys  (daim.  This  declaration  in  his  favor  would  bo 
utinecessary,  if  it  were  in  your  Lordshiji's  power  to  spare  the 
time  Avhich  a  perusal  of  his  two  arguments  would  require. 

I  trust  your  Lordshij)  and  His  Majestys  other  INIinisters, 
will  a])prove  of  the  de(!ision,  wherel»y  the  Unit(!d  States  ac- 
q\iire  only  the  same  thi'ce  small  Islands,  intended  for  them  by 
the  unratified  conventions  of  1S03  and  1H()7,  while  not  only 
the  Title  to  all  the  otiier  Islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passama- 
quoddy,  in  like  manner  secured  to  His  Majesty  by  those  (-on- 
ventions,  is  confirmed,  but  the  Island  of  Grand  Manan  is 
declared  to  belong  to  His  Majesty; — an  Island  justly  re- 
marked, in  a  preceding  part  of  this  Letter,  to  be  of  more  in- 
trinsic value  and  national  importance,  than  all  the  Islands  in 
the  Bay  of  Passamaquoddy. 

TO  MR.   CHIPMAN. 

New  York  8th  November  1817. 
Dear  Sir, 

I  have  read  with  no  little  pain,  your  sons  Letter  to  you  of 
the  24"*  of  October.  It  is  distressing  to  think  that  a  person,  so 
unequal  to  the  duty,  as  Col.  Bouchette  appears  from  his  rep- 
resentation to  bo,  should  have  been  appointed  to  a  service, 
which  required  Talents,  as  well  as  professional  knowledge 
with  respect  to  the  practical  parts  of  the  Surveys.  Indepen- 
dent of  every  other  objection,  he  is  unfit  for  his  office,  if  he  is 
the  timid  Character  represented  by  yoia-  Son  and  bullied  by 
the  American  Surveyor.    Ascertain  the  fact,  and  give  me  the 


i| 


806 


CORRRSPONORNCK  OF  TFIOMAS   RARf!LAY 


carli«\st  inforniiitioii,  that  I  may  aoqiuiint  Oovcrnmont. —  I 
was  not  a  litUo  nurpriscd  to  find,  yonr  Son  attacluMl  incom- 
potenoy  to  Mr.  (^aniplx'U,  as  W((ll  as  Co]:  Bouclu'ttc,  liavinf? 
always  undorstood  from  you,  that  ho  was  fully  (Miual  to  run- 
nitij;  a  plain,  simi)lo  North  line.  If  tlu;  fact  is  so,  another 
must  1)(^  ])ro(Mir('d  by  you  to  sup[)ly  his  phuHs.  Is  young  Mr. 
Odoll  as  clover  and  eomj)etont,  as  your  Son  roprestuits,  if  so 
write  mo  ofilttially  reoommendinj;  him,  and  T  will  recpiest  Lord 
Castlei'cMfifh  to  ai)p(>iut  him  in  the  places  of  (^)l :  Houohotto.  If 
Odoll  looks  forward  to  suoeeed  his  Fathei",  or  to  the  future 
countonanco  of  Government,  he  will  not  refuse  the  appoint- 
ment. No  time  i.«  to  be  lost,  let  me  therefore  hear  froju  you  as 
early  as  possible. —  I  know  so  little  of  this  North  Line,  or  the 
consecpiencos  which  will  follow  if  the  llestifjouche  is  adopted 
as  the  River,  whose;  wat(M-s  empty  into  the  River  St.  Lawrence, 
that  I  (!an  form  no  opinion.  I  observe  what  you  notice  at  the 
foot  of  your  Letter  to  me  of  the  'MY  ult",  namely  that  the  River 
Restigouche  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  S'  Lawrence  by  the  Bay 
of  Chaleurs,  and  not  into  the  River.  This  is  a  decisive  objec- 
tion, should  it  hereafter  become  necessary  to  avail  ourselves 
of  it. —  Col.  Bouchette  however,  in  his  Letter  to  your  Son, 
speaks  of  the  intersection  of  the  Line  with  this  River  four 
miles  North  of  the  little  Wagansis,  as  advantap^eous  to  His 
Majesty,  as  Great  i^ri tain  will  partake  in  all  the  advantan^es  of 
the  Portapfe. —  Is  he  correct  on  this  point. —  All  must  bo  left, 
and  I  cheerfully  do  submit  it,  to  you,  who  are  as  it  were  on  the 
spot,  and  can  acquire  important  information  and  advice  from 
the  Surveyor  General  and  other  Gentlemen  well  informed  on 
the  Subject. —  On  this  Article  we  must  exert  ourselves,  and 
do  our  Government  t!.^  Justice  it  merits.  I  feel  assured  it  is 
unnecessary  to  urge  you  or  your  Son  to  increased  exertions. 


TO   MR.   VAN   NESS. 

New  York,  3''  December  1817. 
Sir, 

Although  it  scarce  admits  of  a  doubt,  that  the  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners  under  the  G""  &  T""  Articles  of  the 


THE  NORTHEAST  nOUNDARy 


397 


KMlt.— I 

[  incioni- 

hiiviuf? 

to  niu- 
anothcr 
uMjif  Mr. 
its,  if  so 
est  Lord 
letto.  If 
e  future 
appoint- 
Ill  you  as 
le,  or  the 

adopted 
lawrcnco, 
ice  at  the 
the  River 
^  the  liay 
ive  objee- 
oursolves 
rour  Son, 
Ivor  four 
LIS  to  His 
jitaj^es  of 
st  be  left, 
ire  on  the 
vice  from 
orined  on 

ves,  and 
Hired  it  is 
ertions. 


lev 


1817. 


cretary  of 
jles  of  the 


Treaty  of  (iflient  lias  addressed  a  letter  to  yon  coiitainint^  a 
resohition  of  that  Hoard  on  th(*  LMJMi  of  October,  still  to  pre- 
vent the  possibility  of  your  not  having  received  it,  I  do  myself 
th(!  Honor  to  enclose  you  a  copy.  —  By  the  resolution  you 
will  perceive  that  these  ('onimissioners  ai-e  to  meet  at  Hamil- 
ton ou  the  ir)tli  of  May  next  and  that  they  are  in  the  interval 
ready  to  n  eive  any  communicuitions  from  you  and  me  relat- 
ing to  the  „()int  nuu'ting  of  the  two  Boards  to  estal)lish  at  the 
River  Catera([uy  the  precise  point  where  the  paru'lel  of  tlu; 
45  Degree  of  North  Latitude  intia'seot;-'  that  Rivei*. 

If  I  recollctit,  in  a  letter  I  received  frcm  you  during  last 
Summer,  you  hinted  an  opinion  that  neit  un*  i\w  Treaty  of 
Ghent,  nor  tlu;  Treaty  of  Peaces  in  \7H',\  to  which  it  refers  gave 
any  directions  to  these  Commissioners  to  establish  this  pre- 
(fiso  point.  In  this  I  agree  in  oj)ini(m  with  you:  but  as  they 
are  to  proceed  (under  the  5"'  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  (rhent) 
from  the  middle  of  that  part  of  the  River  Inxpn  Is  or  (!atera- 
quy  where  the  parallel  of  the  45  Degree  of  North  Latitude 
strikes  that  River,  it  becomes  important  to  them  to  know  the 
precise  spot  as  a  locus  a  (pio  from  which  tlieir  surveys  com- 
mence. If  this  parallel  is  ascertained  by  the  Astronomers  un- 
der the  two  (Commissions  separately,  it  is  probable  tliere  may 
be  a  dift'erence  of  a  few  feet  in  the  results  of  the  astronomical 
observations  in  which  event  there  would  be  two  points  estab- 
lished by  the  respective^  Boards  as  the  parallel  where  the  45"' 
degree  of  North  Latitude  wheri;  it  strikes  the  River  Catera(]uy. 
This  if  possible  should  be  avfuded,  and  by  a  joint  meeting  of 
the  two  Boards  prevented.  Our  Board  stands  adjourned  to 
meet  at  New  York  early  in  May,  at  which  time  and  })lace  I  take 
for  granted  the  Surveyors  of  the  exploring  Party  will  attend 
as  well  as  the  Agents.  It  appears  to  me,  that  if  we  were  to 
change  the  place  of  our  meeting  to  Hamilton,  or  some  other 
convenient  place  near  St.  Regis,  and  direct  the  Secretary, 
Agents,  Dr.  Tiarks  and  Mr.  Elliciott  the  Astronomers  and 
Mr.  Bouchette  and  Mr.  Johnson  the  Surveyors  to  meet  us 
there,  it  would  be  attend  d  with  little  trouble  or  difficulty  to 
them,  indeed  I  conceive  that  I  will  be  the  only  person  materi- 
ally inconvenienced.    By  this  measure  we  shall  be  on  the  spot, 


i( 


1   ■■ 


:• 


398 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOJIAS  BARCLAY 


and  r  \\  arrange  with  the  other  commissioners  the  point  of  in- 
tersectioi^,  while  we  can  at  the  same  time  receive  the  reports  of 
the  Surveyors  with  respect  to  what  has  been  done  this  Summer 
and  give  them  such  further  directions  as  may  appear  necessary. 
These  are  my  sentiments,  but  I  am  by  no  means  tenaciious 
of  them,  if  they  coincide  with  yours  I  sl.all  be  happy,  if  not 
favor  me  with  your  reasons,  so  that  we  may  return  an  answer 
to  the  Commissioners  under  the  6  and  7  Articles;  and  in  the 
former  event  notify  our  Secretary,  Agents,  Astronomers  and 
Surveyors,  where  and  when  to  attend.  Any  day  between  the 
first  and  10th  day  of  May  will  suit  me  to  meet  our  own  Board, 
and  the  Board  of  the  other  Comni". 


' ' 


n 


.1 


TO   MR.   CHIPMAN. 

New  York  G"'  Decr  1817. 
My  dear  Sir, 

I  received  a  few  days  since  your  Letter  of  the  17"'  of  No- 
vember together  with  its  enclosures,  seven  in  number,  for 
which  accept  my  thanks.  I  am  pleased  to  find,  notwithstand- 
ing an  expression  <'ontained  in  one  of  your  Sons  Letters,  that 
you  continue  satislied  with  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Campbell  the 
Surveyor,  as  it  corresponds  with  the  character  you  had  invari- 
ably given  me  of  that  Gentleman.  I  know  not  sufficient  of 
the  Country  to  form  any  Idea  of  the  consequences  which  will 
follow  adopting  the  Restigouche  for  the  River  whose  waters 
empty  into  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  or  how  it  will  comport 
with  a  River  to  be  found  the  Waters  of  which  discharge  into 
the  Atlantic  Ocean.  This  point,  as  I  suggested  to  you  in  my 
Letter  of  the  8th  ult.  I  leave  wholly  to  your  better  information 
and  judgment,  with  this  one  renuirk,  that  if  adopting  this  river 
will  tend  to  His  Majestys  Interest  there  can  be  no  objection  to 
falling  in  with  the  wishes  of  the  Amei'iean  Surveyor,  and  on 
the  contrary  should  it  be  found  prejudicial  we  may  easily  pre- 
vent the  adoption  of  it,  because  it  empties  into  the  Bay  of 
Chaleurs  in  the  Gulf  St.  Lawrence,  and  not  into  the  River  of 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


399 


int  of  in- 
eports  of 
Slimmer 
lecessary. 
toBacious 

111  answer 
uid  in  the 
)mers  and 
tween  the 
wn  Board, 


)ecr  1817. 

IT"  of  No- 
imber,  for 
witbstand- 
etters,  that 
mpboU  the 
had  invari- 
Lifficiont  of 
which  will 
lose  waters 
11  comport 
iharge  into 
you  in  my 
nforination 
g  this  river 
hjoction  to 
,'()v,  and  on 
easily  pre- 
,he  Bay  of 
le  River  of 


that  name.  If  a  Stream  can  be  found  whose  waters  empty 
into  any  River  which  discharges  itself  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
(nay  I  am  not  certain  but  even  a  Stream  which  unites  with  a 
River  which  pours  its  Waters  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  the 
Bay  of  Fundy)  such  River,  if  it  accords  with  the  Interest  of 
His  Majesty  should  be  pressed  on  the  Surveyors  as  the  River. 
If  you  are  satisfied  with  Bouchette,  all  is  well.  In  justice  to 
our  government,  I  beg  leave  to  say,  that  it  would  have  left  the 
appointment  of  Astronomers  and  Surveyors  to  me,  but  as  I 
did  not  know  of  any  really  able  ones  in  America,  and  did  not 
wish  to  assume  that  responsibility  which  would  attach  to  my 
appointment,  I  requested  the  Foreign  office  to  provide  the 
Commission  with  adequate  Astronomers  and  Surveyors.  Still 
if  necessary  I  am  of  oi)inion,  and  shall  have  no  rcluctan(!e  to 
appoint  others,  and  supersede  those  now  on  that  service.  I 
enclose  herewith  the  engrossed  Decision  of  the  Commissioners 
under  the  4tli  Article  of  tlie  Treaty  also  the  sheets  of  the  Jour- 
nal to  complete  those  you  took  on  from  Boston;  and  the 
Presidents  message  to  Congress.  You  will  notice  the  manner 
in  which  he  informs  Congress  of  the  decision  of  the  Commis- 
sioners. He  tells  the  truth  but  not  the  whole  Truth.  Not  a 
word  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  or  Island  of  Grand  Manan. —  I 
think  this  augurs  he  feels  sore  on  the  point,  otherwise  he 
would  have  added  to  which  of  the  two  Nations  that  Island 
had  been  decided.^  Although  the  Commission  under  the  5"' 
Article  stands  adjourned  to  meet  here  in  May,  I  think  it  rather 
probable  that  we  shall  change  the  place  of  meeting  to  S'  Regis 
on  the  S'  Lawr^nlco,  near  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  Par- 
allel of  the  45th  Degree  of  North  Latitude  witli  that  River. 
Should  it  be  so  agreed  upon  between  Mr.  Van  Ness  and  my- 
self, you  shall  have  the  earliest  Notice. 


1  "I  have  also  the  satisfaction  to 
state  that  the  Commissioners  nndor 
tho  fourt'  artiolo  of  tho  treaty  of 
Ghent,  to  wliom  it  was  referred  to 
decide  to  which  party  the  several 
islands  in  the  Bay  of  Passamaquod- 


dy  belonged,  nndcr  the  treaty  of 
1783,  have  agi'eed  in  a  report,  by 
which  all  tho  islands  in  the  posses- 
sion of  each  party  before  tho  late 
war  have  been  decreed  to  it." — Pres, 
Monroe's  Message,  December  2,  1817. 


r*^  1 


H\ 


} 


II 

1 

tlf 

1 

jl 

1 

m 

i 

400 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


TO  LORD   CASTLEREAGH. 


New  York  T'  January  1818. 
My  Lord. 

In  my  Letters  to  your  Lordship  of  the  5"'  and  25"'  of  June  on 
the  Subject  of  the  Surveys  tlien  about  to  be  commenced  from 
the  source  of  the  River  St.  Croix  to  the  Highlands,  one  of  the 
objects  directed  by  the  3''  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  I 
acquainted  your  Lordship,  that  the  Commissioners  under  that 
Article  had  appointed  two  sets  of  Surveyors,  the  one  to  run 
the  due  North  Line  and  admeasure  the  distance,  the  other  to 
precede  them  and  endeavor  to  discover  that  point  of  the 
Highlands  described  in  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  and  in  the  Treaty 
of  1783  as  forming  the  North  West  Angle  of  Nova  Scotia. 
The  last  named  party  was  denominated  the  exploring  Sur- 
veyors, and  consisted  of  Mr.  Bouchette  on  the  part  of  His 
Majesty  and  Mr.  Johnson  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
the  principal  Surveyors  of  both  nations. — These  Gentlemen 
have  explored  about  one  liundred  miles  north  to  a  stream 
called  the  Wagunsis,  which  falls  into  the  River  Restigouche, 
which  emptieth  (not  into  the  River  St.  Lawrence)  but  into  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  by  the  Bay  of  Chaleurs :  It  appears 
they  consider  this  Stream  to  comport  with  the  description  in 
the  second  Article  of  the  Treaty  of  1783  respecting  the  High- 
lands, and  the  waters  which  empty  into  the  River  St.  Law- 
rence. At  present  it  is  impossible  to  determine  whether  the 
adopting  of  this  Stream  will  comport  with  His  Majesty's  in- 
terests. Waters  falling  into  the  Atlantic  ocean  correspond- 
ing with  the  words  of  the  Treaty  must  be  found  before  this 
result  can  be  ascertained.  Should  the  adoption  of  this 
Stream  prove  injurious,  it  can  always  be  rejected  on  proof 
that  the  waters  do  not  empty  into  the  River,  but  into  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  present  uncertain  state  of  the 
exploring  survey,  it  was  not  my  intention  to  have  troubled 
your  Lordship  on  the  Subject.  I  have,  however,  been  led  to 
make  the  preceding  remarks  to  show  under  what  part  of  the 
Surveys  Mr.  Bouchette  had  been  employed  during  the  last 
Season,  and  to  enable  your  Lordship  the  more  readily  to  com- 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


401 


ry  1818. 

if  June  on 
aced  from 
)ne  of  the 
Ghent,  I 
inder  that 
)ne  to  run 
le  other  to 
Lut  of  the 
the  Treaty 
va  Scotia, 
oring  Sur- 
art  of  His 
ted  States, 
(jentlemen 
)  a  stream 
estigouche, 
»ut  into  the 
It  appears 
5cription  in 
r  the  High- 
ir  St.  Law- 
rhether  the 
ajesty's  in- 
lorrespond- 
3efore  this 
m  of    this 
d  on  proof 
ut  into  the 
state  of  the 
ve  troubled 
jeen  led  to 
part  of  the 
g  the  last 
ily  to  com- 


prehend the  enclo  od  copy  of  a  Letter  from  Mr.  Chipman,  His 
Majestys  Agent  to  me. 

Your  Lordship  will  perceive  from  this  Letter  that  Mr. 
Chipman  is  dissatisfied  with  Mr.  Bouchette,  that  he  thinks 
he  wants  at  least  practical  professional  knowledge,  prudence, 
nerve  and  constitution,  and  on  the  whole  is  not  a  character 
in  whom  a  matter  of  so  much  moment  as  ascertaining  the 
Nortli  West  Angle  of  Nova  Scotia  can  with  safety  be  confided. 
Yet  as  his  opinion  is  formed  in  some  measure  from  conjecture 
and  the  reports  of  others,  Mr.  Chipman  is  unwilling  that  Mr. 
Bouchette  should  be  superceded  in  his  appointment,  he  there- 
fore reconnnends  that  I  acceed  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board 
in  May  next  to  the  proposition  of  the  American  Commissioner 
and  Agent  to  commence  running  the  parallel  of  the  45  Degree 
of  North  Latitude  from  the  River  Cataraguay  to  the  North- 
westmost  head  of  the  Connecticut  River,  and  to  employ  Mr. 
Bouchette  on  this  service,  which  will  be  simple  and  over  a 
tract  of  country  generally  under  cultivation,  in  addition  to 
his  remarks,  I  beg  leave  to  add  that  Dr.  Tiarks  His  Majestys 
Astronomer  and  the  American  Astronomer  Mr.  Ellicott  will 
be  always  near  the  Surveyors  to  correct  any  error.  Indeed 
the  Surveyors  on  this  Line  will  have  only  to  run  and  measure 
on  a  due  east  course  from  one  station  to  another  of  the  paral- 
lel to  be  established  by  the  Astronomers.  If  this  proposal 
meets  your  Lordships  concurrence,  I  will  in  May  assign  to 
Mr.  Bouchette  this  part  of  the  Service. — A  Surveyor  in  this 
event  will  be  wanted  to  fill  the  place  of  Mr.  Bouchette  on  the 
exploring  survey  to  ascertain  the  Highlands,  North  of  the 
Source  of  the  River  St.  Croix,  that  divide  those  Rivers  which 
empty  themselves  into  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  from  those 
which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Mr.  Chipman  has  named, 
Mr.  Odell  the  Present  Secretary  of  the  Province  of  New 
Brunswick,  Son  of  the  late  Secretary  of  that  Province,  as  a 
Gentleman  every  way  qualified  for  this  important  Service,  a 
Service  infinitely  the  most  material  under  the  5th  article  of 
the  Treaty.  He  is  however  under  an  apprehension  that  Mr. 
Odell  will  not  feel  inclined  to  undertake  so  laborious  a  task 
on  his  or  my  request.    I  have  no  knowledge  of  Mr.  Odell,  but 

36 


402 


CORRESPONDENCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


i  ! 


the  confidence  I  place  in  Mr.  Chipmans  prudence  and  judg- 
ment loads  me  to  consider  Mr.  Odell  as  the  most  proper  per- 
son to  execute  this  duty.  Should  your  Lordship  think  proper 
to  adopt  Mr.  Chipmans  recommendation  it  will  be  necessary 
for  your  Lordship,  or  Earl  Bathurst  to  whose  department  as 
Secretary  of  New  Brunswick  he  more  imvjj<'(i|||f^ly  belongs,  to 
write  him  a  Letter,  expressive  of  the  WijlW^Wl'  Government 
that  he  should  undertake  this  Service,  and  ttiht  it  is  expected 
he  will  not  decline  doing  it.  The  Letters  on  this  Subject  to 
Mr.  Odell  and  to  Mr.  Chipman  require  dispatch.  Mr.  Chip- 
mans Letter  to  me,  whereof  a  copy  is  enclosed,  is  confid.otial, 
and  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  request  your  Lordship  will  be  pleased 
to  consider  it  such,  and  that  it  may  not  be  communicated  to 
any  person,  other  than  His  Majestys  ministers.^ 


FROM   DR.   TIARKS. 


i 


Sir. 


On  the  Old  Line  east  of  Lake  Champlain, 

Oct.  15,  1818. 


Your  letter  of  the  29th  Sept.  I  had  the  honor  of  receiving 
to-day.  I  returned  last  Monday  from  the  Station  at  Odell- 
town-  and  found  Mr.  Hassler''  according  to  our  agreement  en- 
camped on  Lake  Champlain  on  the  Old  Line  nearly  opposite 
the  American  fort.    I  had  no  time  to  calculate  my  observations 


iCol.  Bouchotte  never  rendered 
any  furtlier  service  on  the  survey, 
declining,  it  would  seem,  to  act 
under  Dr.  Tiarks ;  and  he  was  finally 
discharged  by  an  order  of  Lord  Cas- 
tler"agh,  dated  July  10,  1819.  The 
commissioners  under  the  5*'' Article 
met  this  year  (1818)  at  Burlington, 
Vermont,  in  the  mouth  of  May,  and 
there  settled  some  matters  relative 
to  the  survey  of  the  line  running 
north  from  the  head  of  the  St.  Croix. 
From  Burlington,  the  commissioners 
went  to  Montreal,  and  thence  to  St. 


Regis,  where  they  gave  instructions 
for  running  the  line  of  latitude  45° 
eastward  along  the  States  of  New- 
York  and  Vermont,  and  about  the 
middle  of  June  they  adjourned  to 
meet  again  in  the  spring  of  1819. 

2  A  small  village  in  Canada,  near 
Rouse's  Point. 

3  Ferdinand  R.  Hassler  was,  like 
Dr.  Tiarks,  a  native  of  Switzerland. 
He  was  the  first  superintendent  of 
the  Coast  Survey,  and  planned  and 
directed  that  great  work  until  his 
death  in  1843. 


THE  NORTHEAST  BOUNDARY 


403 


id  judg- 
iper  per- 
i  proper 
ecessary 
bment  as 
longs,  to 
ernment 
expected 
ubject  to 
Ir.  Chip- 
fid.fltial, 
e  pleased 
licated  to 


aplain. 
15, 1818. 

receiving 
at  Odell- 

seincnt  en- 
opposite 

Iservations 

linstructions 
latitude  45° 
,te8  of  New- 
|1  about  the 
iljourned  to 
|g  of  1819. 
lanada,  near 

[er  was,  like 
Switzerland. 

tntendent  of 
jlanned  and 

Irk  until  liis 


at  Odelltown  made  with  the  instrument  you  lately  sent  to 
me,  but  one  which  I  had  tried  gave  the  Old  Line  about  ;5000 
feet  too  far  north.  Lieut.  Vinton  culcuhited  one  in  which  he 
placed  great  confidence  and  found  the  Old  Line  35"  (about 
3535  feet)  north.  Surprising  as  these  results  were  yet  their 
agreement  made  me  think  that  they  are  correct.  When  I  ar- 
rived at  the  Camp  and  informed  Mr.  Hassler  of  what  I  had 
found  he  expressed  his  belief  that  the  Line  was  likewise  too 
far  north  at  this  place.  You  may  easily  imagine  my  ardent 
desire  to  make  observations  with  the  repeating  circle,  but 
neither  the  observatory  was  finished  nor  the  circle  placed.  I 
then  took  immediately  the  reflecting  circle  of  Mr.  Hassler  and 
to  my  astonishment  two  observations  of  the  Sun  which  agreed 
remarkably  well  gave  my  Latitude  45"  0'  38".  That  is  about 
3838'  North  of  the  Parallel  of  45°  which  I  observed  on  the  old 
line.  I  communicated  it  to  Mr.  Hassler  and  to  my  still  greater 
surprise  heard  that  the  few  observations  he  had  calculated 
brought  the  old  Line  still  farther  north,  that  is  about  46" 
(4646')  which  had  likewise  been  so  unexpected  to  him  that  he 
could  at  first  not  credit  it.  He  then  calculated  some  others 
and  obtained  with  little  difference  the  same  result.  Most 
anxious  to  get  as  quickly  as  possible  at  the  truth  he  communi- 
cated to  me  an  observation  of  the  Pole  Star,  which  I  calculated 
this  morning.  The  result  of  the  whole  observation  consisting 
of  two  series  of  repetitions  gave  about  40"  nearly  the  same 
which  my  own  two  Solar  observations  had  given.  Lieut  Vin- 
ton yet  ignorant  of  our  result  then  began  to  calculate  observa- 
tions of  Ms  own  made  with  a  reflecting  circle  and  obtained 
only  12"  north ;  another  however  gave  him  50".  These  are  all 
the  observations  hitherto  calculated.  They  are  taken  by  three 
different  observers  with  three  several  instruments  of  two  dif- 
erent  constructions  on  different  celestial  objects  and  leaving 
out  Mr.  Vinton's  one  observation,  which  being  a  star  observed 
by  the  reflecting  circle  deserves  naturally  less  credit,  they 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  Old  Line  is  about  ^  mile  too  far 
north.  The  distance  of  the  Fort  built  by  Col  .  jtten  from 
the  Old  Line  is  reckoned  less  than  half  a  mile :  the  other  now 
building  is  very  near  it  and  there  seems  therefore,  hai'dly  to 


404 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


remain  any  doubt  bnt  that  both  Forts  arc  on  British  territory ! 
I  have  been  thus  particular  in  detailing  to  yoii  what  knowledge 
I  have  and  on  what  it  is  founded  as  this  point  is  of  extreme 
importance  and  as  I  thought  it  necessary  that  you  should  be 
informed  of  it  as  soon  as  possible.  We  have  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  keep  this  a  profound  secret ;  nobody  knows  it  as  yet 
except  those  who  calculated  themselves,  and  even  most  of  our 
Assistants  are  still  ignorant  of  it.  Lieut  Vinton  goes  tomor- 
row to  the  American  Agent  and  Mr.  Hassler  has  written  to 
General  Swift  about  it  partly  with  a  view  of  obtaining  a 
Zenith  Sector  ordered  in  London  which  may  be  expected  to 
have  arrived  as  it  will  be  his  duty  to  insist  on  the  most  accur- 
ate determination  of  this  point.  It  is  Mr.  Hassler's  opinion 
that  the  success  of  our  operations  might  be  endangered  if  this 
matter  became  generally  known  by  the  irritation  which  such 
a  thing  may  produce  on  the  minds  of  the  lower  classes,  and  he 
has  requested  me  to  keep  it  secret  as  long  as  possible.  Whether 
such  fears  are  grounded  or  not  I  cannot  say  being  too  little 
acquainted  with  the  inhabitants  of  this  State.^  As  I  have 
perfectly  laid  open  to  you  whatever  I  know  I  think  to  have 
discharged  my  duty  and  shall  quietly  continue  my  operations 
and  await  the  further  results.    I  am,  &c.,       T.  L.  Tiarks. 

the  people  there.  ...  I  told  Bagot 
I  thought  it  was  nothing  but  a  mag- 
got in  the  brain  of  Hassler,  and  that 
there  was  no  danger  whatever.  But 
I  promised  to  mention  it  to  the  Pres- 
ident and  inform  him  of  the  result. 
I  found  Crawford  and  Calhoun  with 
the  President,  and  told  them  of  Ba- 
got's  communication.  Notice  of  the 
fact  that  the  astronomical  observa- 
tions are  likely  to  depi'ive  us  of  our 
two  new  forts  had  been  received 
yesterday  from  Colonel  Totten  by  a 
letter  from  Hassler,  bnt  the  Presi- 
dent and  Calhoun  laughed  at  the 
idea  of  the  apprehended  rebellion 
against  the  astronomers  in  Ver- 
mont."— Diary  of  John  Quincy 
Adams,  October  28,  1818. 


1  "  I  was  going  to  the  President's, 
but  was  detained  half  an  hour  by 
Mr.  Bagot,  who  came,  in  much  agi- 
tation, wit  a  letter  he  had  just  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Barclay,  the  British 
Commissioner  under  the  fifth  Ai-ticle 
of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent.  It  appears 
that  in  running  their  forty -fifth  par- 
allel of  latitude  they  find,  by  tlie  ob- 
servations of  the  astronomers  on 
both  sides,  that  the  existing  line 
touchin  upon  Lake  Champlain  is 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  too 
far  north,  and  that  the  new  line  will 
bring  two  forts  lately  built  by  us 
within  the  British  territory.  Hass- 
ler, the  American  astronomer,  is  so 
much  alarmed  at  this  result  that  he 
is  afraid  there  will  be  a  riot  among 


n-itory ! 
owledgo 
extreme 
3onl(l  be 
ht  it  ad- 
it as  yet 
st  of  our 
!S  toinor- 
ritten  to 
aining  a 
jected  to 
»st  accur- 
s  opinion 
:ed  if  this 
hich  such 
es,  and  he 
Whether 
too  little 
^s  I  have 
k  to  have 
operations 

TlARKS. 

told  Bagot 
but  a  mag- 
[ler,  and  that 
,tever.    But 
to  the  Pres- 
the  result, 
alhoun  with 
them  of  Ba- 
otice  of  the 
|cal  ohserva- 
|ve  us  of  our 
jcn  received 
Totten  by  a 
t  the  Presi- 
;hed  at  the 
id  rebellion 
TS   in    Ver- 
i/irt     Qtiincy 


CHAPTER  IX 


LAST  DAYS 


FEW  records  exist  of  the  last  twelve  years  of  Bar- 
clay's life;  and,  indeed,  it  was  a  quiet  old  age, 
disturbed  by  no  unusual  incidents  and  marked  by  no 
extremes  of  good  or  evil  fortune. 

The  chief  public  duty  which  remained  still  to  be 
performed  was  the  closing  up  of  the  affairs  of  the 
commission  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent.  It  had  become  perfectly  clear,  as  early  as  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1819,  that  Barclay's  first  impres- 
sions were  correct,  and  that  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
an  adjustment  of  the  northeast  boundary  were  so  great 
as  to  preclude  all  hope  of  the  commissioners  reaching 
an  agreement.  From  that  time  on,  the  efforts  of  the 
representfitives  of  both  governments  were  strenuously 
devoted  to  collecting  evidence  favorable  to  their  re- 
spective claims,  and  to  making  up  a  record  for  submis- 
sion to  an  arbitrator. 

The  work  of  surveying  progressed  with  exasperating 
slowness,  and  the  public,  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic, 
condemned  the  commission  for  their  delays  and  for  the 
heavy  expense  which  they  incurred.  But  accurate  sur- 
veys were  indispensably  necessary ;  and  the  country  to 
be  explored  was  extraordinarily  difficult  and  the  sea- 
son for  operations  extremely  short. 

The  commission  sat  in  New- York  in  May,  1819,  and 
again  in  Boston  in  May,  1820,  but  nothing  beyond  rou- 


26* 


406 


406 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


tine  business  could  be  transacted.  Maps  wore  filed, 
surveyors  and  astronomers  were  instructed,  and  ac- 
counts  were  audited.  At  len<2^tli  it  was  agreed  that  the 
surveys  had  so  far  progressed  as  to  allow  the  commis- 
sion to  proceed  to  a  discussion  of  the  principles  which 
were  to  bo  followed  in  running  the  line.  A  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  hearing  arguments  was  fixed  for  Octo- 
ber 23,  1820 ;  but  Mr.  Chipman,  the  British  agent,  was 
unable  to  attend,  and  an  adjournment  was  taken  until 
the  spring. 

The  next  year,  1821,  the  commission  went  industri- 
ously to  work.  They  sat  in  New- York  from  May  14 
to  Juno  9 ;  again  from  August  1  to  August  14 ;  and 
finally  from  September  20  to  October  4,  when  the  argu- 
ments of  the  agents  were  completed,  and  a  long  and  ill- 
tempered  discussion  between  them  was  finally  brought 
to  an  end.  The  commissioners  separated  upon  the  un- 
derstanding that  separate  reports  were  to  be  brought 
in,  and  that  the  winter  was  to  be  devoted  to  a  prepara- 
tion of  all  the  reports,  maps  and  papers  in  duplicate 
which  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  required  should  be  laid 
before  each  government. 

On  April  1,  1822,  the  final  session  of  the  commission 
was  begun  in  New- York.  The  accounts  were  audited, 
the  minor  employees  paid  off,  the  reports  were  read, 
and  finally,  on  April  1.3,  the  commissioners  formally 
entered  on  their  journal  their  failure  to  agree,  and  ad- 
journed until  the  further  pleasure  of  the  two  govern- 
ments should  be  known.  Their  disagreement  was 
complete.  They  did  not  even  unite  in  reporting  a  gen- 
eral map  of  the  region  in  dispute,  but  filed  instead  a 
mass  of  disconnected  surveys.  They  differed  as  to  the 
location  of  the  northwest  angle  of  Nova  Scotia ;  as  to 
the  situation  of  the  "highlands";  as  to  the  sou^'^^e  of 


w 


LAST  DAYS 


407 


0  filed, 
aid  ac- 
hat the 
omrais- 
s  wliieli 

ting  for 
)r  Octo- 
Biit,  was 
en  until 

ndustri- 
May  14 
14;  and 
bhe  argu- 
g  and  ill- 
'  brouglit 
n  the  un- 
bronglit 
,  prepara- 
duplicate 

1  be  laid 

mmission 
audited, 

ere  read, 
formally 

I,  and  ad- 

|o  govern- 
eut  was 

ng  a  gen- 
instead  a 
as  to  tbe 

ttia;  as  to 
sou^'^'e  of 


the  Connecticut  River ;  and  even  as  to  the  parallel  of 
45°  north  Latitude.^  The  report  of  the  American  com- 
missioner was  compai'atively  brief,  the  copy  filed  in  the 
State  department  at  Washington  covering  only  severity 
folio  pages  of  a  rather  small  manuscript.  Barclay's  re- 
port was  much  more  elaborate.  Written  in  a  very  similar 
hand  to  that  of  his  colleague's  report,  it  extends  to  322 
folio  pages,  to  which  are  added  177  i)ages  of  appendix. 
It  is  a  complete  review  of  the  subject  in  all  its  phases, 
and  contains,  besides  an  historical  account  of  the  boun- 
daries of  the  provinces  of  Nova  Scotia,  Quebec  and 
Massachusetts,  a  discussion  of  every  argument  advanced 
on  either  side.  These  reports  have  never  been  printed 
in  full,  but  liberal  extracts  were  printed  as  appendices 
LIII.  and  LIV.  (pp.  371-398)  to  the  "  American  Case 
presented  to  the  King  of  the  Netherlands  "  (Washing- 
ton, 1829),  a  volume  not  published,  but  which  is  to  be 
found  in  some  of  the  larger  libraries. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  northeast  boundary 
question  is  not  a  little  curious.  The  event  of  a  disa- 
greement between  the  commissioners,  contemplated  by 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  having  thus  arisen,  It  had  now 
become  the  duty  of  the  two  governments  to  submit 
their  dispute  to  "  a  friendly  sovereign  or  State " ;  but 
the  terms  of  the  treaty  were  so  vague  in  respect  to 
methods  of  procedure  that  more  than  five  years  were 
consumed  in  desultory  discussion  before  the  needful 
arrangements  could  be  made.  At  length,  in  September, 
1827,  Albert  Gallatin,  then  United  States  Minister  in 
London,  negotiated  a  treaty  by  which  all  the  points 

1  The  U.  S.  agent  claimed  that  Point ;   but  the  commissioner,  Mr. 

geocentric,   instead    of   (jcixjrnphical  Van  Ness,  expressed  no  opinion  on 

latitude  should  be  taken,  the  result  this  point  in  his  report, 
of  which  would  be  to  save  Rouse's 


W' 


408 


CORRESPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


wore  covered.  This  treaty  recites  that  the  reports  of 
the  commissioners  and  the  annexed  documents  are  "  so 
voluminous  and  complicated  as  to  render  it  improbable 
that  any  sovereign  or  State  should  be  willing  to  under- 
take the  office  of  investigating  or  arbitrating  upon 
them,"  and  it  is  thereupon  agreed  to  submit  instead  a 
new  statement  of  facts  on  each  side,  accompanied  by  a 
general  map  —  which  is  annexed  to  the  new  treaty  — 
showing  the  watercourses  and  the  boundary  lines  as 
contended  for  by  each  party  respectively.^  The  state- 
ments of  the  parties  were  to  be  exchanged  within  fif- 
teen months  of  the  ratification  of  the  treaty,  and  replies 
thereto  in  six  months  thereafter;  and  the  statements 
and  replies  were  then  to  be  submitted  to  the  arbitrator. 

If  a  hope  was  really  entertained  of  shortening  the 
arguments  to  be  submitted,  that  hope  must  very  soon 
have  been  dispelled.  The  case  could  not  be  presented 
briefly.  An  enormous  mass  of  printed  matter  was  pre- 
pared by  the  representatives  of  each  party,  and  during 
the  year  1830  this  great  bulk  of  assertion  and  argument 
was  laid  before  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  who  had 
consented,  in  a  rash  moment,  to  act  as  arbitrator. 

On  January  10,  1831,  the  arbitrator  made  his  report. 
Instead  of  simply  deciding  the  questions  submitted  to 
him,  the  King  declared  his  inability  to  decide  upon  the 
line  truly  intended  by  the  treaty  of  1783,  and  he  pro- 
posed instead  a  new  line  as  a  matter  of  compromise 
which— he  suggested— it  would  be  suitable  {II  conviendra) 
to  adopt.  Instead  of  following  "highlands,"  the  line 
was  to  run  through  a  valley,  proceeding  along  the  mid- 
dle of  the  rivers  St.  John  and  St.  Francis.  The  diffi- 
culty in  regard  to  the  parallel  of  45  north  latitude 
•was  got  around  by  proposing  to  run  the  line  according 

1  See  a  copy  of  this  map,  which  is  known  as  Map  A,  ante  page  44. 


LAST  DAYS 


409 


)l'tS  of 

re  "  so 
obablo 
midor- 
;  upon 
stead  a 
2d  by  a 
eaty  — 
ines  as 
B  state- 
;hin  fif- 
[  replies 
Lements 
)itrator. 
ing  the 
>vy  soon 
resented 
was  pre- 
1  during 
fgument 
vho  had 
or. 

Is  report, 
liitted  to 
pon  the 
he  pro- 
promise 
viendra) 
the  line 
lie  mid- 
'he  diffi- 
latitude 
cording 

age  44. 


to  the  corrected  observations,  but  to  save  Rouse's  Point 
to  the  United  States  by  describing  a  semicircle  round 
the  fort. 

The  award  was  satisfactory  to  neither  party,  and 
was  rejected  by  both,  and  has  never  been  published. 
Matters  now  seemed  more  unpromising  than  ever. 
Public  feeling  ran  high,  especially  in  Maine  and  New 
Brunswick.  On  one  occasion,  in  1838,  certain  British 
subjects  having  cut  timber  on  the  disputed  territory,  a 
Maine  constable  was  sent  with  a  posse  to  drive  them 
off ;  but  he  w^as  himself  arrested  and  imi)risoned  by  the 
provincial  authorities.  The  militia  were  ordered  out, 
and  actual  warfare  seemed  for  a  time  to  be  close  at 
hand,  until  good  sense  prevailed,  and  "  the  Restook 
War  "  became  nothing  but  a  local  reminiscence.* 

The  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty  in  1842  finally  put 
an  end  to  the  whole  troublesome  business,  not  without 
blustering  from  Benton  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
and  Palmerston  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  at- 
tempt to  find  the  northwest  angle  of  Nova  Scotia  was 
given  up.  A  line  intermediate  between  the  extreme 
pretensions  of  the  two  parties  was  drawn.  And  the 
unquestionable  British  claim  to  the  line  of  45°  north 
latitude  was  surrendered,  the  old  incorrect  line  of  1763 
being  retained  as  the  northern  boundary  of  New- York 
and  Vermont.  Precisely  twenty  years  and  six  months 
elapsed  from  the  day  the  boundary  commission  ad- 
journed sine  die  in  New-York  until  the  ratifications 
of  the  Webster-Ashburton  Treaty  were  exchanged  in 
London. 

On  that  same  day  of  the  adjournment  of  the  com- 
mission, Barclay  paid  Messrs.  Isaac  Wright  &  Son  thir- 

1  Some  account  of  the  negotiations  between  the  authorities  on  the  border 
will  be  found  in  General  Scott's  Autobiography,  Chap,  xxiii. 


f 


a 


!/" 


\ 


i^. 


m 

h 


410 


COItHRSPONDENCE  OP  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


ty-fivG  pfuiiiotts  passa^o-monoy  for  a  berth  in  tlio  ship 
James  Cropjxr ;  and  a  day  or  two  later  ho  sailed  for 
England,  aeeompanicd  by  Mr.  Chipnian.  They  landed 
at  Kinsale,  in  Ireland,  crossed  the  channel  from  Cork, 
and  posted  to  London,  arriving  there  early  in  June. 
Thoy  took  with  them  the  reports  and  records  of  the 
commission  to  be  filed  in  the  Foreign  Office.  Their 
business  was  soon  settled,  and  Barclay  probably  found 
less  to  attract  him  than  when  ho  had  first  visited  Eng- 
land nearly  twenty  y(uirs  earlier.  Before  the  summer 
was  over  he  was  ready  to  return,  and  ho  sailed  from 
Liverpool  in  the  Jamas  Thompson, \'d\\i\m^m  New- York 
on  September  7,  1822.' 

On  his  return  from  this  his  last  visit  to  England, 
Barclay  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  and  the  story  of 
his  remaining  years  may  be  told  in  few  words.  His 
work  was  done,  and  increasing  infirmities  put  a  per- 
emptory stop  to  further  activity. 

In  the  summer  of  1823  he  hired  a  country  place  on 
Manhattan  Island,  which  comprised  a  house  and  twelve 
acres  of  land.  It  lay  on  the  Eastern  Post  Eoad,  near 
the  four-mile  stone,  sloping  down  to  where  a  cove  set 
in  from  the  rocky  shores  of  the  East  River.  The  waters 
of  the  little  cove  were  shallow,  and  aft'orded  a  safe  an- 
chora'i^e  for  small  craft  away  from  the  swirling  tides 
that  rough  the  narrow  passage  between  Manhat- 

t  iiiackwell's  Islands ;  and  Rock  Harbor  was  the 

J  which  was  given,  appropriately  enough,  to  the 
ou-Durban  villa.  The  site  of  it  is  covered  to-day  with 
breweries  and  tenement-houses,  and  it  lies  just  east  of 

1  He  paid  forty  guineas  for  the  ward.  Owing  to  the  prevailing  west- 
westward  trip,  the  rate  of  passage  erly  winds  the  voyage  from  England 
this  way,  according  to  the  usual  cus-  was  commonly  the  longer, 
torn,  being  higher  than  to  the  east- 


LAST  DAYS 


411 


le  slnp 
led  for 
landed 
1  Cork, 
I  June, 
of  the 
Thoir 
y'  found 
id  Eng- 
mmnier 
)d  from 
)W-York 

Ingland, 
story  of 
ds.  His 
it  a  per- 

place  on 
d  twelve 
)ad,  near 
cove  set 
e  waters 
safe  an- 
[iig  tides 
Manl^at- 
•  was  the 
[i,  to  the 
,ay  with 
;t  east  of 

[ailing  west- 
3in  England 


Third  Avenue,  hotweon  Forty-fifth  and  Forty-seventh 
streets  in  tlio  city  of  New- York.  Barclay  was  [)leased 
with  his  modest  country-seat,  and  in  March,  1H'J4,  ho 
bouglit  it  of  the  owncn*,  paying  ^MM)  an  acre  for  it,  or 
$GOUO  in  all.  He  remained  in  [)ossession  of  the  property 
until  the  summer  ])efore  liis  death,  when  he  sold  it  for 
$9000,  thus  realizing  a  profit  of  fifty  per  cent,  on  his 
investment. 

His  life  was  easy  and  uneventful.  His  grandchildri^n 
were  multiplying  and  growing  up  about  him,  and  his 
estate  was  prospering.  He  occupied  himself  with  little 
household  occupations,  and  noted  with  care  the  days 
of  his  migrations  from  town  to  country,  and  from 
country  to  town.  A  visit  to  Maryland,  another  to  New- 
port, another  to  his  son,  Henry,  on  the  Hudson  River, 
were  duly  recorded  ;  and  with  them  the  bottling  of  his 
Madeira,  and  the  days  when  servants  were  engaged  or 
discharged.  One  reads  in  his  note-books  how  he  paid 
his  coachman  fourteen  dollars  a  month,  his  gardener 
t^n,  and  "  Cicely,  a  black  cook,"  only  seven ;  and  one 
observes  further  down,  without  surprise,  that  Cicely  was 
"  dismissed  for  incompetence  "  at  the  end  of  a  month. 
Lists  were  kept  of  the  guests  at  his  dinner-parties,  and 
he  made  precise  notes  of  his  engagements  to  dine 
abroad.  Thv^  old  gentlemen,  his  friends,  were  mostly 
"  warm  Federalists,"  though  Federalism,  hot  or  cold, 
had  ceased  to  be — Mr.  Gracie,  Mr.  Ray,  Dr.  Hosack, 
Mr.  Varick.  Hours  were  earlier  than  at  this  end  of  the 
century.  Mr.  Waddington,  and  Mr.  Jauncey,  and  Mr. 
Moses  Rogers,  we  find,  dined  at  fi\o  o'clock;  but  Mr. 
Low  and  Mr.  H.  Rogers  dined  at  the  less  dissipated 
hour  of  four. 

In  October,  1825,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Barclay's 
wedding  came  round.    All  the  surviving  children  were 


412 


CORRESPONDEXCE  OF  THOMAS  BARCLAY 


;ii 


ii; 


I.'  • 


:ri:  J 


at  hand,  except  Maria,  who  was  away  with  her  hus- 
band in  British  Guiana,  and  De  Lanoey  in  England. 
De  Lancey  had  this  year  been  made  a  colonel  by  bre- 
vet, and  aide-de-camp  to  King  George  IV.;  and  he  had 
now  at  last  married,  being  forty-five  years  of  age. 
George  had  given  up  his  notions  of  settling  in  England, 
and  was  now  e^'tablished  as  a  successful  merchant  in 
New- York. 

The  spring  of  the  next  year  brought  the  ill  news  of 
De  Lancey's  death — of  pneumonia,  it  would  seem — 
only  a  very  few  days  after  the  birth  of  his  child,  a  little 
girl,  who  died  young.  His  death  was  a  bitter  blow  to 
his  father,  who  had  always  cherished  a  peculiar  affec- 
tion for  the  handsome  soldier.  Financial  worry  came 
also  through  Henry,  the  eldest  son,  who  had  retired 
from  business  in  New- York,  and  had  embarked  in  ra- 
ther ill-advised  ventures  at  Sanger  ties,  in  Ulster  County, 
where  he  established  iron-works  and  a  paper-mill  that 
absorbed  a  great  deal  of  money,  and  made  no  returns 
for  a  long  time  afterward. 

But  there  were  good  days  as  well  as  evil,  and  time 
on  the  whole  passed  by  not  unhappily.  Barclay's 
health,  for  the  most  part,  continued  good,  though  there 
were  long  intervals  in  winter  when  fear  of  cold  weather 
kept  him  in  his  house.  In  particular,  and  most  fortu- 
nately for  him,  his  mental  faculties  and  his  eyesight 
were  unimpaired,  and  letters  written  almost  in  the  last 
month  of  his  life  show  no  change  either  in  their  style  or 
in  the  small  and  rather  difficult  handwriting.  From  the 
summer  of  1829,  however,  he  began  to  fail  rather  rap- 
idly. The  end  came  at  last  on  Wednesday,  April  21, 
1830.  In  the  words  of  a  book  which  he  loved,  he  was 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  having  the  testimony  of  a  good 
conscience ;  in  the  communion  of  the  Catholic  Church ; 


LAST  DAYS 


413 


her  hus- 
3ngland. 

by  bve- 
d  he  had 

of  age. 
Bnglaud, 
chant  in 

news  of 
seem — 
1,  a  little 
blow  to 
ar  affec- 
•ry  came 
I  retired 
id  in  ra- 
'  County, 
mill  that 
)  returns 


in  the  confidence  of  a  certain  faith;  in  the  comfort  of 
a  reasonable,  religious  and  holy  hope;  and  in  perfect 
charity  with  the  world.  ^ 

S  ate     Thli       '  !^^"!^,^^^"  ^^^^^'ly  eighty-two  years 

oflfM  l7-^'!u^'™^  together,  in  the  churchyard 
ot  bt.  Mark's  m  the  Bowery. 


md  time 
Barclay's 
Lgh  there 
weather 
3t  fortu- 
eyesight 
.  the  last 
'  style  or 
I'rom  the 
her  rap- 
ipril  21, 
,  he  was 
•f  a  good 
Church ; 


m 

|H 

^m 

[ '. 

'H£r« 

1  ;;■ 

Pi 

h> . 


^  1'  'l 

■U    ,  u 


ff'ii'' 

1 1 " 

liii 

'■I'. 

m 

m 

APPENDIX 
CHILDREN  OF  THOMAS  AND  SUSAN  BARCLAY 

'■  1776^  rtrf '.  l"""']  '*  '^^"^^^"^'  ^-  Y.,  December  3, 
I7  nqr  r  !f  f^^/^'  Livingston  of  New-York,  June 
17,  1796 ;  died  at  Harlem,  June  21,  1817. 

2.  Henry  Barclay,  born  ..  New- York,  October  27  1778  • 

England,  March  29,  1826.  ^o^o,aieam 

4.  Maria  Barclay,  born  in  New-York,  June  27,  1782-  mar 

''  D™bef4'™''^'''"I'.''T  ^'  ^'''"'"'  No™  Scotia, 
l>eeember4, 1783;  mamed  Catherine  Channing,  February 

14,  1821 ;  died  at  New-York,  January  30,  1838  ^ 

"■  !rvT  nsT"'''  "-T;"*  ^"""P""^'  N"™  Scotia,  F.oru. 
ary  6,  1780,  married  Peter  Gerard  Stuyvesaut  of  New- 
Yori.,  August  20, 1803,  died  at  New-York,  Jauuary  M, 

'''  SeZ'n  ^T'Z  ^'''''^"^'  ''O™  »t  Anuapolis,  Nova 
Scotia,  December  22,  178G;  died  at  New-York,  June  Vo, 

8.  Ann  Bakclav,  born  at  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  December 
7    1788;  married  William  B.  Parsons,  E.  N.,  May  29 
1815;  died  at  New-York,  June  20   1869 

9.  Geoboe  Baeclav,  born  at  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  July 

t'JI  I  .  """^  '^"™  *'''t"'J''  AufrSre,  December  8 
1818;  died  at  New  Hamburgh,  N.  Y,  July  28, 1869 

415 


416 


APPENDIX 


10.  Anthony  Barclay,  born  at  Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1792 ;  married  Ann  Waldberg  Glenn ;  died  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  March  21,  1877. 

11.  Clement  Horton  Barclay,  born  at  Annapolis,  Nova 
Scotia,  August  3,  1796;  and  died  there  in  September, 
1797. 

12.  Cornelia  Elizabeth  Stewart  Barclay,  born  in  New- 
York,  May  23,  1801 ;  and  died  there,  June  28,  1801. 


\tA  ^ 


cotia,  Sep- 
u ;  died  at 

olis,  Nova 
lepteinber, 

a  in  New- 
,  1801. 


INDEX 


37 


r 

ii 

w 

w 

H   ' 

i  ' 

^'4 

^n  1 ' 

M 

ii 

|l.i!i 


INDEX 


^ILiV^^  ""^'^  effectual  preserva- 
220" 222 P^''''^'  ^^''■'  -1^'  -14,  219, 

'^tS'I'^r'-  *^««™«"y  as  to  map 
used  at  Pans  in  fix  ntr  Northeast 
Boundary,  66,  73-75;  probably  ?e 
elected  President,  lis 

AdSif  °'^''  ^1""°^'  375,  378,  404. 
Admiralty,  Courts  of,  American  eom- 

120  13^°''^™'"^'  ^^^'  reform  in, 
Africaine,  H.  M.  Ship,  291 

in  (1/07-1722),  4  ;  Rev.  Henry  Bar- 
1746)   7"" ''''    '  ''^^'■^y'"'^"  in  (1738- 

392.     '      '    ^^'  ^^^'  3'*'  3^9'  =^«9- 

^^^^PJs^te  naming  of  Sovereigns  in 
public  documents,  when  rule  to  be 
followed,  381,  382. 
Ambuscade,  French  Frigate,  173 
American  Ships  of  War?  reasons  of 

i«X^''''^oV  *^^t^o"s  with  Brit, 
ish  Ships,  336-338. 

Analostan,  American  Brig,  333 
Analostan  Island,  residence  of  Gen 

John  Mason,  314. 
Andromache,  H.  M.  Ship,  126,  129, 

Annapolis,  Nova  Scotia,  25,  29,  35, 

Asia,  H.  M.  Ship,  15, 
^^;^ra,n^ewspaper,  attacks  Col.  Bar- 

^'fe/.T^?.'^-'  American  agent 
tf^Zl!'^?£T,?\^'\9''^L'  under 


the  fourth  article  of  the  Treaty  It 
Ghent,  359,  376.  ^ 

^t^w'  ^?^«^ES,  British  Minister 

at  Washington,  375,  404. 
Banks,  Sir  Joseph,  378 
Baker,  Anthony  St.   John,   British 

ttTSr32l,'^32l^"""  '^*^-^-^- 


Barclay,  Andrew  (of  Newtown,  L.I.), 

Barclay,  Ann  (daughter  of  Col. 
rhoinas  Barclay),  318,  351,  415- 
marries  W.  B.  Parsons  365.' 

Barclay     Anna  Dorothea   (wife  of 
Beverly  Kobinson),  9. 

Barclay,  Anthony  (of  Albany),  6. 

Barclay^  Anthony  (son  of  Col.  Tho- 
mas Barclay),  416  ;  at  school  in 
Nova  Scotia,  96,  206 ;  goes  to  Eng- 
land to  study  for  the  bar.  258  • 
appointed  British  Commissiouer 
under  the  sixth  and  seventh  ar- 
ticles of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  on 
the  death  of  Mr.  Ogilvy,  356 :  mar- 
ries  Ann  Waldberg  Glenn,  365 

N«w^v^?^^n''i^y'  41^  '  removes  to 
New  York,  96;  death  of,  146 

Barclay,  Catharine,  9. 

Barclay,  Clement,  77,  416. 

BeYanXrf  ^"^'^  ''  ^^^^'^^^ 

%t:S'a?SSySS'l;r^  "«^- 
Barclay,  David,  emigrates  to  Amer- 

ica  and  dies  at  sea,  2. 
Barclay,  De  La^ncey,  415  ;  serves  in 
a  JNova  Scotia  regiment,  95;  ap- 
plies for  commission  in  the  regular 
army,  104;  Ensign  in  41st  Foot" 
105;  goes  to  Montreal,  117;  pro- 
moted 135  ;  goes  to  England   145 ; 
promoted  to  be  Captain,  206  226- 
Major  and    Lieut.-Colonel,    258  • 
appointed  to  the  Guards,  318 ;  pro- 
moted to  be  Colonel  and  marries 
Mary  Barclay,  412 ;  his  death,  412. 
Barclay,   Eliza    (wife    of   Schuyle^ 
Livingston),  61,  415;   her  death, 

^m^^'q^^/^'*^^'  41^5  at  school  in 
NovaScotia,  96,  206;  comes  to 
New  York  m  1808  and  goes  into 
business  with  Henry  Barclay,  258; 
marries   Anna  Matilda   Ailfr^re 


419 


420 


INDEX 


hhHi. 


I  I. 


i\  ' 


i      ' 


Barclay,  Rev.  Henry,  born  at  Albany, 
graduated  at  Yale,  5  ;  rector  of  St. 
Peter's  Church,  Albany  (1738- 
1746),  6;  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
New  York  (174G-1764),  7  ;  marries, 
8 ;  Doctor  of  Divinity,  10 ;  his  death 
in  17G4,  11. 

Barclay,  Henry  (son  of  Col.  Thomas 
Barclay),  41.');  a  clerk  at  Halifax, 
95;  removt^s  to  New  York,  96; 
warns  British  frigates,  199,  1201 ; 
enters  into  partnership  with  Mr. 
Kumsey,  206 ;  becomes  a  success- 
ful merchant,  258 ;  coniuiunicates 
with  British  men-of-war,  269 ; 
marries  Catherine  Watts,  ;)65 ;  fi- 
nancial difficulties,  412. 

Barclay,  John,  settles  in  East  Jersey 
in  1683,  1 ;  dies  1731,  3. 

Barclay,  Maria  (wife  of  Simon  Era- 
ser), 97,  415. 

Barclay,  Mary  (widow  of  Rev.  Hen- 
ry Barclay),  11,  31. 

Barclay,  Robert,  Governor  of  East 
Jersey,  2. 

Barclay,  Susan  (daughter  of  Col. 
Thomas  Barclay),  415;  marries 
Peter  Gerard  Stuyvesaut,  148; 
her  death,  206,  209,  215. 

Barclay,  Susan  (wife  of  Col.  Thomas 
Barclay),  16,  36,  413. 

Barclay,  Rev.  Thomas,  takes  orders, 
4  ;  dies  1722,  5. 

Barclay,  Thomas  (of  Albany),  6. 

Barclay,  Col.  Thomas,  born  in  New 
York  1753,  1;  education,  12;  grad- 
uates from  King's  College,  14; 
studies  law,  15 ;  marries  Susan  De 
Lancey,  16 ;  settles  at  the  Walkill, 
17  ;  joins  the  British  Army  in  1776, 
19,  22 ;  military  service,  22-28 ;  set- 
tles in  Nova  Scotia,  20 ;  life  at  Wil- 
mot,  28;  member  of  Provincial  As- 
sembly 1785,  speaker  1793-1799, 
30 ;  raises  a  regiment  in  Nova  Sco- 
tia, 30 ;  education  of  his  children, 
40 ;  Commissioner  under  Jay's 
Treaty,  46 ;  revisits  New  York,  47 ; 
unites  with  American  Commis- 
sioner in  appointment  of  Egbert 
Benson  as  third  Commissioner  un- 
der Jay's  Treaty,  58,  62;  attends 
meetings  of  commission,  64-66, 
73-75,  90-94 ;  signs  report  of  Com- 
missioners, 90 ;  appointed  British 
Consul-General  at  New  York  in 
January,  1799, 95 ;  takes  up  his  resi- 


dence there,  96;  salary  in  arrears, 
99;  rumor  of  efforts  to  supplant 
Sir  John  VV^entworth,  114 ;  visit 
to  Englan<l  (April,  1802,  to  April, 
1803),  1 45 ;  removes  to  Harlem,  207 ; 
sails  for  Europe  in  1812  on  dfudar- 
ation  of  war,  257 ;  takes  lodgings 
in  London,  312;  appointed  Agent 
for  Britisli  prisoners  of  war,  313; 
sails  for  the  United  States  via 
Bermuda  and  goes  to  Washington, 
314;  returns  to  Harlem,  315;  or- 
dered to  remove  toBladensburgh, 
316,  341-343;  resigns  as  agent  for 
prisoners,  317,  343  ;  ordered  to  re- 
move to  Hagerstovvn,  317,  345 ; 
sails  for  England  Oct.  1814,  318 ; 
engaged  in  settling  accounts  for 
maintenance  of  prisoners  of  war, 
353  ;  appointed  Commissioner  un- 
der fourth  and  fifth  articles  of 
Treaty  of  Ghent,  355 ;  returns  to 
New  York  and  resumes  duties  of 
Consul-General,  356 ;  doubts  possi- 
bility of  settling  Northeast  Boun- 
dary, 360;  sells  his  house  at  Har- 
lem and  moves  to  New  York,  365 ; 
instructions  from  the  Foreign  Of- 
fice concerning  duties  and  com- 
pensation as  Commissioner  under 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  365-370; 
signs  decision  of  Commissioners 
in  regard  to  islands  in  Passama- 
quoddy  Bay,  394 ;  files  separate 
report  in  regard  to  Northeast 
Boundarv,  407 ;  sails  for  Europe 
(April,  1822),  409;  returns  to  New 
York,  410 ;  purchases  a  country 
place  in  the  East  River,  411 ;  his 
death,  412. 

Barclay,  Thomas  (son  of  Col.  Tho- 
mas Barclay),  415 ;  enters  British 
Navy,  96;  midshipman,  127;  pro- 
moted to  be  lieutenant,  206 ;  com- 
mander, 258,  312 ;  post  captain, 
318 ;  retires  on  half  pay,  318. 

Barney,  Joshua,  149. 

Barron,  Commodore  James,  U.  S.  N., 
101,  267. 

Barron,  Capt.  Samuel,  U.  S.  N.,  101. 

Barton,  George,  clerk  to  Col.  Bar- 
clay, 345,  346,  347,  349,  351,  352. 

Bathurst,  Earl,  340,  376,  377,  380, 
402. 

Bayard,  Samuel,  22,  31. 

Beasley.  ReubenG.,  Agentfor  Amer- 
ican J.  isoners  in  England,  313, 320, 


INDEX 


421 


in  arrears, 
)  supplant 

114;  visit 
,  to  April, 
arU>ni,207; 

on  (l(H'lar- 
is  loilgiiit?8 
iited  Agent 
E  war,  313 ; 
States  via 
''asliington, 
n,  315;  or- 
densburgb, 
18  agent  for 
dered  to  re- 
,  317,  345; 
.  1814,  318; 
ccounts  for 
iiors  of  war, 
issioner  un- 

articles  of 
;  returns  to 
es  duties  of 
loubts  possi- 
heast  Boun- 
ouse  at  Har- 
jv  York,  365 ; 

Foreign  Of- 
L'S  and  com- 
sioner  under 
nt,  365-370; 
mmissioners 
in  Passama- 
les  separate 
o  Northeast 

for  Europe 

,urns  to  New 
a  country 

er,  411;  bis 

of  Col.  Tbo- 
Lters  British 
L,  127;  pro- 


...,  .-.  ,  pro- 
it,  '206 ;  com- 
,ost  captain, 
|ay,  318. 

ies,U.S.N., 

S.  N.,  101. 
3  Col.  Bar- 
),  351,  352. 
\6,  377,  380, 


bnt  for  Amer- 
ind, 313, 320. 


Bell,  Isaac,  158. 

Benson,  Egbert.  9,  13,  31 ;  Commis- 
siouor  under  Jay's  Treaty,  40,  51, 
58, 6'J;  views  concerning  River  St. 
Croix,  91-93;  views  concerning 
title  to  Mooso  Island,  285. 

Benson,  liobert,  8, 

Borceau,  French  Corvette,  125,  127, 
129. 

Bercsford,  Capt.,  R.N.,  207-209,  226, 
228,  230,  240-242. 

Berkeley,  Vice-Adniiral,  243,  247, 
249,  258,  262,  '266,  267,  271. 

Berlin  Decree,  253,  262. 

Bickerton.  A<lniinii  Sir  Richard,  325. 

Billings,  Samuel,  wrongfully  im- 
pressed, 183,  191. 

Bladensburgh,  Battle  of,  317,  348. 

Bladensburgh,  designated  as  place 
of  residence  for  Col.  Barclay,  341, 
342,  343;  Barclay  directed  to  re- 
move from  in  consequence  of  ap- 
proach of  British  troops,  345; 
leaves  his  papers  in  charge  of  his 
clerk  at,  346. 

Blockade  of  New  York  by  British 
S(iuadron  in  1804,  170-176,  179; 
American  jurisdiction  infringed, 
185,  189;  difficulties  of,  200,  204. 

Blowers,  Sampson  Salter,  35. 

Bonaparte,  Jerome,  description  of, 
149 ;  reported  engaged  to  marry 
Miss  Patterson,  152;  match  re- 
ported broken  off,  154;  intended 
visit  to  Canadian  border,  155 ; 
maiTies  Miss  Patterson,  160;  ar- 
rives in  Now  York,  162 ;  embarks 
on  French  frigate  Didon,  167; 
efforts  made  by  British  authori- 
ties to  capture  him.  170;  his  ser- 
vants sent  to  France  in  brig 
Rolla,  175;  goes  to  IJallston,  181; 
unsuccessful  efforts  to  elude  Brit- 
ish cruisers,  193,  194;  receives 
orders  to  return  to  Franco  with- 
out his  wife,  195;  sails  for  Eu- 
rope in  American  ship  Erin,  211- 
212;  in  command  of  ship  Vet,6ran 
abandons  squadron  commanded 
by  Willaumez,  '243-244,  248. 

Bond,  Phineas,  British  Consul  at 
Philadelphia,  correspondence 

with,  48,  52,  54,  56,  60,  63,  71,  115, 
294. 

Boston,  H.  M.  Ship,  96, 100,  125, 129, 
164,  167,  171,  173,  174,  179. 

Boston,  U.  S.  Ship,  125,  148. 
27* 


Bouchotte,  Joseph,  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral of  Canada,  appointed  British 
Surveyor  under  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent',  366,  .371,  377;  to  act  only 
UTuler  direction  of  (he  commission 
under  tlio  fifth  article,  388 ;  incom- 
petence of,  395,  399,  400,  401 ;  dis- 
charged, 402. 

Boundary  Question  with  Great  Brit- 
aiTi  ,44,68, 353-355, 357-365, 405-409. 

Bradley,  Capt.  William,  R.  N.,  154, 
163;  commands  British  scpiadrou 
blockiiding  New  York,  165-182, 
185,  189-191,  194-196;  suffers 
French  frigates  to  escape,  197- 
199 ;  removed  from  command  by 
British  Government  and  imme- 
diately promoted,  200. 

Bradshaw,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  '269,  270. 

Bramble,  H.  M.  Ship,  308,  309. 

Bramston,  William,  1.57. 

Bromley,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  274. 

Broughton,  Charles  R.,  correspon- 
dence with,  98,  107,  136,  226. 

Burr,  Aaron,  177,  207.  251,  302. 

Busy,  H.  M.  Ship,  205,  210. 

Byam,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  211,  263. 

Calvkrt,  Edward,  317,  348. 

Cambrian,  H.  M.  Ship.  154,  162,  163, 
166-169,  175,  178, 179, 181, 188, 195, 
196,  201,  202,  204-209,  226,  230,  231, 
235-236   238. 

Campobello  Island,  title  to,  288,  3.58, 
360;  decided  to  belong  to  Great 
Britain,  394. 

Canning,  George,  256,  '264,  268. 

Caprion,  Gideon,  wrongfully  im- 
pressed, 298. 

Captures  of  American  merchant  ves- 
sels by  British  shi])S  of  war,  118- 
120,  134,  183,  187,  227. 

Carleton,  Governor  of  Now  Bruns- 
wick, 66,  69,  70,  114. 

Carpenter,  Thomas,  124. 

Cartel  for  regulating  exchanges  of 
prisoners,  and  negotiations  con- 
cerning, 314,  324, 325,  329,  330,  339, 
340. 

Carysfort,  H.  M.  Ship,  23. 

Castlereagh,  Lord,  313,  319,  320; 
correspondence  with,  336,  365, 
369,  370,  371,  375,  378,  380,  386, 
388,  400. 

Cazeaux,  French  Consul  at  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  intrigues  with  Ca- 
nadians, 263,  264,  270. 


422 


INDEX 


'!/" 


Certificates  of  Protoetion  funuHliod 
to  British  Hoainoii  iti  American 
sliips,  210,  218,  21!),  2i)7. 

ChaiuVior  of  CoinimTCP,  action  of, 
coiK'orniii},'  cuptiiro  of  Arncricau 
nicrcliant  shijtH,  1 1!). 

Ohaiidlor,  KiifiiH,  'M. 

CliauiH'cy,  Isaac,  C'apt.,  U.  8.  N., 
21(),  217. 

Cheetham,  James,  130,  189. 

Chesapoako,  U.  K.  Ship,  2M,  264, 
2(i(),  2()7,  2()S,  ;}08. 

Chichcslor,  H.  M.  Ship,  244. 

Chipinaii,  Ward,  .')2 ;  British  afjont  in 
regard  to  St.  Croix  Kiver,  r)2;  liis 
abilities,  67;  iirojjoses  survey  of 
north  line  from  the  source  of  the 
St.  Croix,  68,  70 ;  examines  Island 
of  St.  Croix,  7");  advises  adoption 
of  River  Chi[)utnoticook  as  part  of 
Northeast  Boundary,  87-8!) ;  his 
capacity,  1!)1  ;  views  of  in  respect 
to  Moose  Island,  280 ;  British 
agent  before  the  (Commission  irs 
under  the  fourth  and  fifth  artic  es 
of  (he  Treaty  of  Cflient,  3r)9,  366, 
371,  374,  376,'  377,  378;  his  vews 
as  to  prohableresultof  submitiiTig 
boundary  question  to  arbitration 
by  a  friendly  sovereigii,  3132 ;  his 
talents  and  industry,  ',\{)'i;  corre- 
spondence with,  39r>,  398,  402. 

Chiptitneticook  Kiver,  45,  68,  70,  81 ; 
source  of,  to  be  adopted  as  source 
of  the  St.  Croix,  88;  Howell's  ar- 
gument concerning,  91 ;  finally 
adopted  by  Connnissioners  as 
Kiver  St.  Croix,  92,  93. 

Clarkson,  David,  11,  12,  l.'y. 

Cleopatra.  II.  M.  Ship.  129. 

Clinton,  DeWitt,  introduces  resolu- 
tion in  State  Senate  adverse  to 
claims  of  dower  by  widows  of  per- 
sons attainted  of  treason,  139;  com- 
ments on  his  course,  140 ;  ap- 
pointed Mayor  of  Now  York,  153  ; 
correspondence  with,  157, 163,  223, 
233,  236 ;  name  mentioned  as  Vice- 
President,  307. 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  certificate  from, 
26. 

Cochrane.  Vice-Adrairal  Sir  Alex- 
ander, 206,  244,  247,  259,  274,  277, 
278,  290,  317,  347,  348,  350,  351, 
352. 

Cockburn,  Captain  George,  R.  N., 
153,  154,  156,  157. 


Coin  in  New  York  banks,  difficulty 
of  jtrocuring  Spaiush  dollars,  1.^)6, 
18<  ;  o  lality  of  gold,  208,  209. 

Colden,  Cadwallader  (Lt.-Qov.),  12, 
16,  18,  37. 

Colden,  Cadwallader  D.,  113;  em- 
ployed as  attoriK'V  for  Margaret 
De  Lancev.  121-123,  138-143. 

Coldenham.  N.  V.,  18. 

Colibri,  H.  M.  Shi|),  257,  30.5,  312. 

Columbine,  II.  M.  Ship,  269,  270. 

Commissions  under  Jay's  Treaty, 
variations  in  terms  of,  57,  72,  77, 
78,  86. 

Compton,  Captain,  B.  N.,  183. 

Connecticut  Kiver,  northwestern- 
most  head  of,  364,  365,  375,  380, 
384,  407. 

Constellation.  U.  R.  Sliip,  101. 

Constitution,  U.  S.  SInp,  295,  312. 

Cook,  Thmnas,  wrongfully  im- 
y)ressod.  155. 

Cooper,  Dr.  Mvles  (President  of 
King's  College,  N.  Y.),  12,  15. 

('ornbury,  Lord,  3,  4. 

Cox  and  Greenwood,  army  agents  in 
London,  104;  purchns(>  a  conmiis- 
sion  for  Do  Laneoy  Barclay,  105. 

Coxe,  Daniel,  136. 

Craig,  Gen.  Sir  James,  270,  275,  288  ; 
unjustifiable  conduct  in  corre- 
sj)oiidiiig  with  Henry,  306. 

Croke,  Alexander,  Judge  of  the  Ad- 
miralty Court  in  Halifax,  134,  242, 
289. 

Cruder,  John  Harris,  13,  22. 

Oybele,  Freiich  Frigate,  arrives  at 
New  York,  159 ;  description  of, 
160;  watched  by  British  naval 
force,  161-163,  167,  175,  176;  plans 
to  intercept  when  leaving  New 
York,  179,  188,  191,  192,  195,  196; 
escapes  through  Long  Island 
Sound,  197-199;  arrives  safely  in 
France,  201  ;  arrives  at  Norfolk 
disabled,  243,  244. 

Decrees  op  Napoleon  restricting 
neutral  trade,  253,  256. 

Deer  Island,  Passamaquoddy  Bay, 
360. 

De  Lancey,  family  of,  17. 

De  Lancey,  Alice  (wife  of  Balph  Iz- 
ard), 127,  146. 

De  Lancey,  Anne  (wife  of  John 
Cox),  61. 

De  Lancey,  Col.  James,  raises  Tory 


INDEX 


423 


difficulty 
lars,  ir)(), 

3ov.),  12, 

113;  cm- 
Margarot 
-143. 

Of),  312. 
59.  '270. 
's  Treaty, 
57,  72,  77, 

1S3. 

,li  western - 

,  375,  380, 

101. 

29r»,  312. 
fully     im- 

cMident   of 
12,  15. 

y  ai^onts  in 
"  a  commis- 
pclay,  105. 

ro,  275,  288 ; 
in    corre- 
306. 

,  of  the  Ad- 
kx,  134,  242, 


arrives  at 
riptiou  of, 
itiwh  naval 
,  17(5;  plans 
avinf?  New 
2,  195,  196; 
)iifX  Island 
s  safely  in 
at  Norfolk 


restricting 
toddy  Bay, 

If  Ralph  Iz- 
[o  of  John 
Iraises  Tory 


regiment,  17;  settles  in  Nova  Seo- 
tia,  25. 

Do  Laneey,  James,  loyalist  a>;ent  in 
England,  17;  forfeited  estate  of, 
109. 

De  Lp  I'ev,  Jane,  mari'ies  John 
Watts,  Jr.,  1(). 

De  LaiK'i'v,  Margaret,  widow  of 
James,  109;  claim  of  dower  in  prop- 
erty in  New  York,  110-112,  121- 
123,  137-143,  209. 

De  Laneey,  General  Oliver,  17,  27, 
135. 

De  Lanccy,  Peter  (of  Westchester), 
16. 

De  Lancey,  Stephen,  marries  Cor- 
nelia Barclay,  9 ;  Colonel  in  Brit- 
ish service,  17. 

De  Lancey,  Susan,  maiTies  Thomas 
Barclay,  16. 

De  Lancey,  Sir  William  Howe,  killed 
at  Waterloo,  ,356. 

Do  Monts,  Siour,  occupation  of  Isl- 
and of  St.  C^roix  by,  59,  05. 

Desertion  of  British  seamen,  extent 
of,  in  1799,  100  ;  deserters  enlisted 
inU.  S.  S.  Constellation,  101  ;  jm)- 
posed  law  to  arrest  destu'ters  in 
Now  York,  10(i-109;  desertion 
fromll.  M.  S.  Phaeton,  153;  Brit- 
ish seainen  in  American  frigates, 
179,  216;  desertion  from  British 
cutter,  220;  proclamation otTering 
pardon  to  deserters  returiiiTig  to 
duty,  267;  few  British  seamen 
willing  to  enlist  in  Royal  Navy, 
269,  274 ;  loss  of  men  from  1 1.  M.  S. 
Colibri,  305 ;  many  British  seamen, 
most  of  them  deserters,  on  Ameri- 
can frigates,  337. 

Detroit,  Hull's  surrender  at,  312. 

Didon,  French  Frigate,  arrives  at 
New  York,  159;  description  of, 
160;  watched  by  British  naval 
force,  161-163, 167,  175,  176;  plans 
to  intercept  when  leaving  New 
York,  179-181,  188,  191,  192,  195, 
196 ;  escapes  through  Long  Island 
Sound,  197-199 ;  arrives  safely  in 
France,  201. 

Diggio,  John,  wrongfully  impressed, 
295  297. 

Dougia*ss,"Capt.,  R.  N.,  100, 125, 158, 
167,  171,  174,  178,  206. 

Dower  claimed  by  widows  of  per- 
sons attainted  of  treason,  103, 110- 
112,  121-123,  137-143. 


Draeyer,  Andries,  0. 

Draeyer,  Anna  Dorothea,  marries 
Rev.  Tliomas  Barclay,  6. 

Driver.  II.  M.  Ship,  162.  163,  166, 
1()7.  174.  178,  206,  228.  229.  230,  231. 

Diickwortli.  Admiral.  126,  131,  151, 

Diitcli  R(>formed  ministers  at  Al- 
bany, 4,  5. 

Dwvei',  Lieutenant  (H.  M.  Navy), 
126-128. 

Kastern  States,  aversion  of,  to  war 
with  (Jreat  Britain,  265,  268,  283, 
29H,  335. 

EUicott,  Andrew,  American  Sur- 
veyor under  the  Treaty  of  Uhent, 
'!K4,  3S5,  386,  387.  397,  401. 

Embargo  on  shi])ping  in  IT.  S.  ports, 
255,  271,  272,  277,  281,  283,  284. 

Emigration  from  (Jreat  Britain  and 
Ireland,  129;  encouragc<l  by  revo- 
lutionary societies  in  America, 
130. 

EoLE,  French line-of-battle  ship,248. 

Erin,  American  Ship,  211,  212. 

Erskine,  David,  Britisli  Minister  at 
Washington,  249,  256;  corresi)on- 
dence  with,  259,  261,  266,  273,  275, 
278,  286,  288,  290. 

Essex,  U.  S.  Ship,  316. 

Eugenia,  American  Ship,  seized  by 
H.  M.  S.  Leaiuler  and  recaptured 
by  Americans  otT  New  London, 
183-187,  190. 

Euridice,  H.  M.  Ship,  290. 

Fairlie,  James,  210. 

Faustina,  Privateer,  115. 

Fenwick,  Lieut.,  31. 

Findlayson,  Mr.,  40. 

Fiugal,  American  Ship,  318,  352. 

Foster,  Augustus  J.,  British  Minis- 
ter at  Washington,  correspon- 
dence with,  300,  301,  306,  307,  309, 
310 ;  returns  to  England  in  July, 
1812,  at  the  outlu'eak  of  the  war, 
257,  312. 

Fox,  Charles  James,  correspondence 
with,  ;'44,  247. 

Frankli.  Benjamin,  advocates 
River  St.  Croix  as  boundary,  70; 
also  contends  for  River  St.  John, 
75. 

Franklin,  William,  69,  70. 

Eraser,  Simon,  marries  Maria  Bar- 
clay, 97. 

Fuller,  Brigadier-General,  131. 


424 


INDEX 


'!/• 


m 


Gallatin,  Alrkrt,  li'C),   iHf),   190, 

2()7,  1>()8,  2Si),  407. 
Ociie.sapiiruiiisiH,  Lake,  H7,  01. 

(iiioiit,  TriMity  of,  :ti().  :t^):t-:{^).^. 

Goldsinith,  licvvi.s,  iiutlior  ol'  A  S('- 
crt't  HiHtorv  of  tlit"  ('al>iiii't  of  Uo- 
Tiiij)firt(>.  L'!»:t,  'J!)4. 

Uoulburii,  Henry,  Under-Secretary 
of  the  Colonies,  378. 

Grand  Moiian,  Islimd  of,  title  to, 
337,  :{()(),  371,  373,  3i)0,  3!)12 ;  de- 
cided to  lieloiif^  to  Great  Britain, 
31)4 ;  value  of,  31)5. 

Greenwood.  (See  Cox  and  Green- 
wood.) 

Grenville,  Lord,  eorro8ponden('(< 
with,  4(»,  47,  ;->(),  04,  72,  73,  7'J,  i)0, 
97,  99,  107,  108,  11  f),  118. 

Guerri6re,  H,  M.  Ship,  295,  297,  298, 
312. 

Gun  boats  prepared  for  service,  2(55. 

Gunpowder,  exportation  of,  to  the 
West  Indies,  151. 


IIagerstov/n,  Col.  Barclay  directed 
to  remove  to,  345,  346 ;  permitted 
to  leave,  349. 

Haley,  Nathan.  150,  151. 

Hall,  Basil,  203,  212,  269,  [\'>Ck 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  retained  as 
counsel  for  Martjarot  De  J^ancey, 
123;  death  of,  attachment  to 
British  Government,  177;  fee 
charged  Mrs.  De  Lancey,  209. 

Hamilton,  Col.,  British  Consul  at 
Norfolk,  125,  152,  244,  204,  2G0. 

Hamilton,  Jonas,  an  American  citi- 
zen wrongfully  impressed,  132. 

Hamilton,  William  Richard,  Under- 
Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  293,  294,  298,  30G,  318,  319. 

Hammond,  George,  correspondence 
with,  50,  03,  09,  150,  199,  lill. 

Hardy,  Capt.  Sir  Thomas,  K.  N., 
328. 

Harison,  Richard,  13,  109,  111-113, 
123,  153,  249. 

Harrowby,  Lord,  176,  187,  200. 

Hartley,  David,  67,  09,  70. 

Hai'tshorne,  Lawrence,  113,  260, 
298. 

Hartshcrne  and  Boggs,  95. 

Hassler,  Ferdinand  R.,  402,  403,  404. 

Hawkes,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  290. 

Hawkesbury,  Lord,  correspondence 
with,  123,  124,  128,  129,  143,  149 ; 


refers  questions  of  boiinilary  to 
Col.  Barclay,  145.  2H0,  391. 

Highlands  foi'miiig  part  of  North- 
cast  Bonndarv,  44,  300,  302,  374, 
375,  379,  380,  400,  400,  408. 

Hillyar,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  31(>. 

Hislop,  (Jemn-al,  Governor  of  Trini- 
dad, 270. 

Holmes,  .John,  American  Commis- 
sioner under  the  fourth  article  of 
the  Treaty  of  Gluwit,  35<),  370  ;  his 
courtesy  and  impartiality,  388, 
389. 

Hotham,  (\ipt.,  R.  N.,  208,  209. 

Howell,  David,  Connnissioner  uniler 
Jay's  Treaty,  40,  48;  infornuil 
meeting  with  Col.  Barclay,  49-51  ; 
his  arguments  concerning  River 
St.  Croix,  91-93. 

Howick,  Lord,  2,50,  251,  203. 

Humphreys,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  208. 

Hunter,  General  Peter,  130,  155. 

Impi5tueux,  French  Frigate,  btirned 
bv  the  British  on  the  Virginia 
const,  248. 

Impressment  of  American  seamen, 
132,  147;  a]iplicaf ions  for  release, 
133, 154  ;  delicacy  of  British  naval 
otKccrs  with  respect  to,  178  ;  more 
applications  for  release,  183,  191 ; 
orders  of  the  Admiralty  against, 
210  ;  diniculty  in  dealing  with  the 
subject.  201;  ])ecnliai'ly  unfortu- 
nate in  1811,  295,  290. 

Indian,  II.  M.  Ship,  205. 

Indians.     (See  Mohawk.) 

Innes,  Alexander,  certificate  from, 
27. 

Izard,  Ralph,  127. 

Jackson,  Francis  James,  British 
Minister  at  Washington,  291. 

James  Cropper,  American  Ship,  410. 

James  Thompson,  American  Ship, 
410. 

Jay,  John,  13,  15;  negotiates  treaty 
witii  England,  44;  testimony  as  to 
map  used  at  Paris  in  fixing  North- 
east Boundary,  GO,  73,  74. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  97, 137,  207,  252, 
254,  253,  201,  283,  292. 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  40,  117. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Samuel,  G,  11. 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  7. 

Juhel,  John,  152,  187. 


INDEX 


425 


ndiiry  to 

1. 

if  Nortli- 

;U)'J,  :i74, 

K. 

of  Trini- 

ConimiH- 
iirtiflo  of 
,  ;{7G;  his 
lity,    388, 

,  209. 
nor  uiulor 
itifornml 
IV,  4!)-r)l  ; 
nm  liiver 

'J()8. 

5(i,  ir)r). 

te,  huriiod 
(   Virginia 

u  st'iiintMi, 
or  release, 
itish  naval 
178;  more 

?.  18:5,  lyi; 

ty  against, 
I'g  with  the 
y  xiufortu- 


cato  from, 


British 
:^91. 
Shii),410. 
■it'an  Ship, 

atcs  treaty 
mony  as  to 
dng  Nortli- 

4. 

,  207,  252, 


11. 


Kkith,  OEoiinE,  3. 

Kcmpo.  (iriicp,  claim  of  tlowor  to 
lainls  ill  New  York,  102,  137,  141, 
142. 

Koinpc,  .lolm  Tahor,  10:{. 

K.'Mt,  Diiki'  of,  104,  i:t3. 

Kin^,',  Uiifiis,  V.  S,  Minister  in  Lon- 
don, 7!>.  14'),  280,  281,  :(.-);i,  ;«)i. 

Kinj^'K  ("ollcj^c.  I  liiirttTof, !);  coiirso 
of  Hliidy,  12;  political  tondoncioH, 
13. 

Knox,  Uenoral  Henry,  48,  HI. 

La  1)ii,T(1Ente,  Froneh  Privateer, 
2!)1). 

Lafnev.  llear-Adiniral  Sir  Francis, 
2i)(),  2!)». 

Lake  of  the  Woods,  92,  3.")4. 

Laurie,  Ciipt.  Hir  Kobert,  K.  N.,  1^^4, 
209,  272. 

Lciinder,  Aincrii'aii  Sliip,  2(52. 

Lciindcr.  11.  M.  Ship,  Itil,  18L  18.'), 
18:5,  187,  188,  19.'),  19(5,  201,  202, 
2();5-207 ;  shot  from,  kills  an  Amer- 
ican citizen,  230;  excitement  in 
Ncnv  York  in  consequence,  231- 
2;i8 ;  sails  for  Hiilifax,  238. 

Leopard,  11.  M.  Ship,  212,  254,  264, 
2()(),  2(57,  2(58. 

Lilly,  H.  M.  Ship,  129,  148.  152;  cap- 
tured by  French  jjvivateer,  18:5. 

Line  of  forty-live  deforces  north  lat- 
itude, :i(;4"  380,  385,  :i8(5,  ;597,  401  ; 
discovered  to  have  been  erro- 
neously run  in  17(50,  :i(54,  402-404, 
407 ;  old  lino  adopted  as  boundary 
by  treaty  of  1842,  409. 

Lispenard,  Leonard,  11,  12,  15. 

Listen,  Kobert,  British  Minister  in 
Washington,  47,  49,  72,  76,  78,  79, 
83,  86 ;  consents  to  adoption  of 
River  Chiputneticook  as  part  of 
Nortlieast  Boundary,  89. 

Little  Bolt,  H.  M.  Ship,  295. 

Little  Cornelia,  American  Sliip, 
seized  by  11.  M.  S.  Loander  and 
retaken  by  her  own  crew,  187, 190. 

Liverpool,  Lord.  ( See  Hawkesbury. ) 

Livingston,  Brockliolst,  138. 

Livingston,  Schuyler,  married  to 
Eliza  Barclay,  61 ;  dies  in  1809, 
258. 

Livingston,  William,  10. 

Lottery  Tickets,  purchases  of,  108. 

Loyalists,  Commissioners  for  set- 
tling claims  of,  21,  36-38. 

Ludlow,  Gabriel  V.,  124. 


Lyall,  Captain,  R.  N.,  174,  175,  178. 

McKknzie,  .loiiN,  214. 

Macomb,  Alexander.  226. 

Madison,  .liinies,  2i;t,  219,  224,  248, 
252,  2.59,  2(15,  284.  308. 

Magaguailavic  liiver,  claimed  lis  the 
true  St.  Croix,  45,  ,58.  G,"),  (58,  70, 
75  ;  claim  disproved,  81. 

Manhattan,  American  Ship,  210. 
211,  218. 

Maroons,  settlement  of,  in  Nova 
Scotia,  134,  i;t5. 

Mason,  (ioorge,  of  (itinstouTlall,  314. 

Mason,  (ion.  .lolin,  Commissai'v- 
General  of  prisoners,  314-317,32;); 
negotiations  with,  for  exchange  of 
l)risoners,  32(5,  .'(28,  ;t29,  3150,  :t:i;i, 
3.34,  335;  corres|)on(lonce  with,  338, 
345,  :»47,  348,  349,  350,  :J51. 

Mason,  John  M.  (Mason  and  SlidoU), 
315. 

Melampus,  H.  M.  Ship,  248,  207,  2(58, 
290. 

Merry,  Anthony,  British  Mini.ster  at 
Washington,  153;  correspondence 
with,  155,  l.")8,  i.-)9,  1(51,  1(52,  1(54, 
108,  172,  177,  178,  18:5,  184,  187, 
188,  192,  19:5,  201,  208,  209,  213, 
218,  221,  223,  224,  225,  230,  2:52, 
2:54,  2:i7,  240,  245, 247,  248  ;  returns 
to  England,  249. 

Milan  Decree,  253. 

Milan,  H.  M.  Ship,  269. 

Militia,  numbers  and  equipment  of 
in  1809,  in  the  P^astern  States,  291- 
293. 

Missiessy,  Admiral,  214,  221. 

Mitchell,  Vice-Admiral,  correspon- 
dence with,  148,  151,  1,52,  1.54,  1.58, 
159,  162,  1(56,  174,  181,  185,  190, 
195,  198,  200,  214,  220,  221,  222, 
227   228. 

Mohawk  Indians,  religious  teaching 


among,   in   1710,   4,   i); 
1735  and  1745,  6-8. 


between 


Monroe,  James,  200,  213,  228,  252, 
2.54,  265,  2(58;  Barclay's  inter- 
views with,  325,  :527,  328 ;  corre- 
spondence with,  :5;52,  341,  342, 1549; 
efforts  of,  to  settle  Nortlieast 
Boundary,  :554,  391 ;  declaration  of, 
as  to  principles  to  be  observed  in 
carrying  into  execution  the  Treaty 
of  Ghent,  370. 

Montgomery,  Fort,  Storming  of,  22. 

Moore,  Rev.  Thorowgood;  4. 


426 


INDEX 


JiM     1:  fel 


Isf.  ,  .  -; 


Moore,  William  Sturge,  32. 

Moose  Island,  title  to,  279-281,  283, 
285-288,  355,  3fi0,  393 ;  decided  to 
belong  to  the  United  States,  394. 

Morier,  John  Pliilip,  British  Charg6 
d'Affairosat  Washington,  293,  294. 

Mulgrave,  Lord,  212,  228. 

Mutine,  French  Brig,  125,  128. 

Nairne,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  230. 

Neilson,  William,  President  of 
Marine  Insurance  Co.,  158,  164, 
189,  190,  192. 

Netherlands,  King  of  the,  arlntra+or 
under  treaty  of  1827,  his  award, 
408, 409. 

Neutral  rights,  181,  189,  191.  203, 
227,  242,  252-254,  300. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  its  commercial  and 
political  importance,  141. 

New  York,  expenses  of  living  in, 
40 ;  Thomas  Barclay  appointed 
British  Consul  in,  95;  house  rent, 
96 ;  expenses  of  living  in,  101 ; 
growth  of,  103;  Ijlockiide  of,  in 
1804,  203 ;  excitement  in,  conse- 
quent on  killing  of  an  American 
citizen  by  H.  M.  S.  Leander,  231- 
239 ;  extension  and  improvement 
of,  285. 

Non-importation  Acts,  227,  229,  252. 

Non-intercourse  Law,  255-257,  289. 

Nova  Scotia,  Col.  Thomas  Barclay 
emigrates  to,  28 ;  value  of  land  in, 
32,  33;  state  of  education  in,  41; 
communications  with  Great  Brit- 
ain, 42  ;  debt  of,  03 ;  definitions  of 
boundary  of,  91,  92 ;  charming 
climate  of,  103. 

Nova  Scotia,  ancient  boundaries  of, 
as  described  iu  Grant  to  Sir  Wil- 
liam Alexander,  etc.,  367,  371-374, 
389-391. 

Nova  Scotia,  northwest  angle  of,  44, 
360,  379,  401,  406,  409. 

Ogilvy,  John,  appointed  British 
Commissioner  under  the  sixth  and 
seventh  articles  of  the  Treaty  of 
Ghent,  356,  381,  387. 

Orde,  Vice-Admiral  Sir  John,  212. 

Orders  in  Council,  253,  256,290,  312. 


Paine,  Thomas,  1.51. 
Parker,  Vice-Admiral, 


115,  125,  128. 


Parrsborough,  Nova  Scotia,  32,  33. 


Parsons,  W.  B.,  marries  Ann  Bar- 
clay, 365. 

Pashell,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  297,  298. 

Passamaquoddy,  islands  iu  the  Bay 
of,  surveyed,  65,  75 ;  ownership  of 
in  dispute,  82:  effect  of  decision 
in  regard  to  River  St.  Croix,  upon 
title  to,  93 ;  negotiations  in  1802 
respecting,  145,  353 ;  subsequent 
discussion  concerning,  279i--281, 
285-288 ;  title  to  bo  determined  by 
Commissioners  under  the  fourth 
article  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent, 
357,  366,  371 ;  discussion  of  Com- 
missioners conoerning,  389-394 ; 
decision  of  Commissioners,  394. 

Patriot,  French  line-of-battle  ship, 
243,  244. 

Patterson,  Elizabeth  (of  Baltimore), 
reported  engaged  to  Jerome  Bona- 
parte, 152  ;  married  to  him,  160 ; 
Gen.  Armstrong  declines  taking 
her  to  F'-ince,  194;  birth  of  her 
child  and  return  to  America,  211. 

Peacock,  H.  M.  Ship,  332,  333. 

Pearce,  John,  an  American  seaman 
killed  by  a  shot  from  H.  M.  Ship 
Leander,  230 ;  excitement  in  New 
York  in  consequence,  231-239,  241. 

Perth  Amboy,  John  Barclay  settles 
at,  2,  3 ;  Col.  Thomas  Barclay  di- 
rected to  embark  from,  349,  350, 
352. 

Phaeton,  H.  M.  Ship,  153,  154,  157. 

Pheasant,  H.  M.  Ship,  129. 

Philipse,  Frederick,  13. 

Philipse,  Susannah,  marries  Col. 
Beverley  Robinson,  19 ;  attainted 
of  treason,  137. 

Pichon,  Louis  Andr6,  French  Charg6 
d'Affaires,  125 ;  opposes  marriage 
of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  152 ;  de- 
spatches to.  intercepted,  195. 

Pickering,  Timothy,  48,  77,  78,  79, 
80,  80,  99. 

Pilots  of  New  York.  French  sympa- 
thizers, 148  ;  prohibited  from  tak- 
ing British  frigates  to  sea  until 
after  French  ships  had  sailed,  165, 
166, 169, 174,  182  ;  medium  of  com- 
munication with  seamen  in  the 
British  frigates  claiming  to  be 
Americans,  222 ;  are  all  Demo- 
crats, 247 ;  decline  to  bring  letters 
from  British  men-of-war,  269. 

Pinkney,  William,  U.  S.  Minister  in 
England,  252, 254, 257, 275, 354, 391, 


h. 


•i-u 


INDEX 


427 


nn  Bar- 

198, 

t}ie  Bay 
jrship  of 
decision 
lix,  upon 
i  in  1802 
bsequent 

279-281, 
mined  by 
lo  fourth 
f  Ghent, 
1  of  Com- 

389-394 ; 
rs,  394. 
ttle  ship, 

iltimore), 
)me  Bona- 
him,  IGO; 
js  taking 
■th  of  her 
n-ioa,  211. 
333. 

m  seaman 
I.  M.  Ship 
>nt  in  New 
11-239,  241. 
■lay  settles 
iarelay  di- 
1,  349,  350, 

I  154,  157. 
9. 

irries    Col. 
;  attainted 

nchCharg6 
is  marriage 
152;    de- 
ll, 195. 
77,  78,  79, 

kch  sympa- 
;  from  tak- 
sea  until 
[sailed,  165, 
lum  of  com- 
leu  in  the 
ling   to  be 
I  all  Demo- 
ring  letters 
[i\  269. 
Jklinister  in 
b,  354, 391, 


Pitt,  British  Shi]),  seamen  impressed 
from,  in  port  of  New  York,  165-174, 
182,  191. 

Porter,  Peter  B.,  American  Commis- 
sioner under  tlie  sixth  and  seventh 
articles  of  tlie  Treaty  of  Ghent, 
357,  381,  387. 

Poursuivant,  French  Frigate,  177. 
(See  President.) 

President,  French  Frigate,  194,  209. 
(See  Poursuivant.) 

President,  U.  S.  Ship,  295. 

PrevoHt,  General  Sir  George,  302, 304, 
326,  330,  331 . 

Prisoners  of  War,  numbers  of,  313  ; 
treatment  of,  regulated  by  cartel, 
314 ;  instructions  to  Col.  Barclay 
concerning  care  of,  320-324;  en- 
ticed to  enter  the  service  of  the  U. 
S,,  32();  British  subjects  residing 
in  the  U.  S.  not  considered  as,  331. 

Privateers,  French,  126,  128,  158, 
164,  183,  193,  221,  222,  223,  224, 
277,  299,  300,  301. 

Provincial  Light  Infantry,  24,  28. 

Rambouillet  Decree,  256. 

Rawdou,  Lord,  24;  certilicate  from, 
26. 

Restigouche,  River,  68,  70,  361,  362, 
396,  398. 

Revenge,  U.  S.  Schooner,  272. 

Rovolutionnaire,  H.  M.  Ship,  194, 
205,  207. 

Rey,  Antoine  Gabriel  Venance, 
French  Consul-General  in  New 
York,  160,  1(51. 

Robertson,  Gilbert,  appointed  agent 
for  prisoners  of  war  to  succeed 
Col.  Barclay,  344;  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment declines  receiving,  350, 
351,  352. 

Robinson,  Col.  Beverley,  raises 
Loyal  American  Regiment,  19; 
testimony  as  to  Thomas  Barclay's 
services,  27  ;  his  widow's  claim  of 
dower,  137. 

Robinson,  Beverley,  Jr.,  marries 
Anna  Dorothea  Barclay,  9 ;  Lieut.- 
Colonel  of  Loyal  American  Regi- 
ment, 19. 

Robinson,  Beverley  (gi-andsou  of 
Col.  Robinson),  112. 

Rock  Harbor,  Barclay's  vill"-    "0. 

Rodgers,  Commodore,  U.  S.  N.,  275. 

Roosevelt,  Helena,  6. 

Rose,  George  Henry,  272,  275. 


Rouse's  Point,  forts  at,  found  to  be 
on  British  territory,  3(54,  403,  404  ; 
award  of  King  of  tlie  Netherlands 
concerning,  409 ;  title  conlirmod 
in  the  U.  S.  by  treaty  of  1842,  409. 

Russell,  Jonathan,  313. 

Rutgers,  Anthony,  8. 

Rutgers,  Mary,  marries  Rev.  Henry 
Barclay,  8. 

St.  Croix,  Island  op.  New  Bruns- 
wick, 59,  65 ;  remains  of  French 
settlement  on,  75,  76. 

St.  Croix,  River,  part  of  boundary 
line,  44 ;  dispute  as  to,  45 ;  origi- 
nated by  James  Sullivan,  53,  54; 
preliminary  meeting  of  Commis- 
sioners in  regard  to,  46,  56-58 ; 
iirst  full  meeting,  G4-66 ;  second 
meeting,  73-75;  tlurd  meeting,  87; 
decision  to  adopt  the  Schoodic  or 
Cliiputneticook  as  tht^  true  river, 
88 ;  unanimous  decision  of  Com- 
missioners in  regard  to,  90 :  north 
linefi'om  source  of,  surveyed,  361, 
390,  400. 

St.  Croix,  source  of  River,  difficulty 
of  fixing,  45 ;  discussion  as  to,  67 ; 
north  line  from,  to  be  surveyed, 
69,  70 ;  mode  of  markiiig  source, 
79,  81,  83-8(5;  intersection  of  north 
line  from  soiu'ce  with  River  St. 
John,  88  ;  divergent  views  of  Com- 
missioners as  to  mod(?  of  asccr- 
tfiining  true  source,  91-93. 

St.  Croix,  West  India  Island,  131. 

St.  George's  Ciuirch,  9. 

St.  Helens,  Lord,  67,  74. 

St.  John,  River,  contended  for  as 
American  boundary  by  Jay  and 
Franklin,  75;  where  intersected 
by  north  lino  from  the  source  of 
the  St.  Croix,  88,  93,  361,  362. 

St.  P', ter's  Church,  Albany,  founded 
1714,  Rev.  Tliomas  Barclay  being 
tirst  rector  of,  5 ;  Rev.  Henry  Bar- 
clay third  rector  of  (1737-1746),  7. 

St.  Peter's  Church,  Pertli  Amboy,  3. 

St.  Regis,  meeting  of  Commissioners 
under  Treaty  of  Ghent  at,  383, 384, 
385,  386,  387,  397,  402. 

Sawyer,  Rear-Admiral,  297,  308. 

Schenectady,  condition  of,  in  1710, 
4,  .5. 

Schoodic,  River,  4.5,  54,  58,  65,  81; 
decided  to  be  the  true  St.  Croix, 
87,  91. 


428 


INDEX 


:     ' 


r 


'H 


I  fi 


Seamen,  American.    (See  Impress- 
ment.) 
Seamen,  British.    (See  Desertion.) 
Seeker.  Archbishop,  10. 
Semillante,  French  Frigate,  125, 129, 

182. 
Serpent,  H.  M.  Brig,  120. 
Seymour,  Vice-Admiral  Lord  Hugh, 

132. 
Sherbrooke,  Sir  John  C,  303. 
Simpson,  Capt.,  R.  N.,  229. 
Skene,  Captain,  R.  N.,  181,  183, 185, 

187,  189,  190,  195,  202. 
Society  for  tlie  Propagation  of  the 

Gospel,  3,  4,  6,  8. 
Society  Library,  New  York,  9. 
Southern  States  desirous  of  war  with 

Great  Britain,  265. 
Spook,  James,  wrongfully-impressed, 

297. 
Slatira,  F   M.  Ship,  272,  273,  274, 

275. 
Stuyvesant,  Peter  Gerard,  marries 

Susan  Barclay,  148. 
Sullivan,  James,  53 ;   agent  of  the 

U.  S.  in  arbitration  as  to  St.  Croix 

River,  53,  54,  60,  83. 

Temple,  Sir  John,  Consul-Gcneral 
in  New  York  (1785-1798),  95,  96, 
120. 

Thomas,  John,  master  of  British  brig 
Fox,  indicted  on  charge  of  murder, 
245,  248. 

Thomson,  Capt.  John,  R.  N.,  305. 

Thornton,  Edward,  British  Secretary 
of  Legation,  80, 127,  152,  168. 

Tiarks,  Dr.  T.  L.,  British  Surveyor 
under  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  385, 
386,  387,  .397,  401,  402. 

Tottenham,  British  Ship,  brought  to 
New  York  as  prize  to  a  Frencii 
privateer,  300,  301,  306. 

Transport  Board,  313,  318 ;  corre- 
spondence with,  320,  324,  330,  333, 
335,  339,  343,  344. 

Treaty  of  1783  between  the  U.  S. 
and  England,  43,  44,  60,  74,  362, 
363,  371,  397. 

Treaty  of  1794  (Jay's  Treaty),  pro- 
visions of,  44;  Commissioners  un- 
der fifth  article  of,  46;  views  of 
Commissioners  respecting  title  to 
Moose  Island,  278-281,  285-288. 

Treaty  of  1798  explanatory  of  the 
fifth  article  of  Jay's  Treaty,  ne- 
gotiation of,  79-85 ;  terms  of,  86. 


Treaty  (unratified)  of  1806,  negoti- 
ated by  Monroe  and  Pinkney,  252, 
254,  261. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  318 ;  provisions  of, 
353-355. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  commission  under 
fourth  article  of,  355 ;  first  meet- 
ing of,  357,  376 ;  second  meeting 
at  Boston,  arguments  of  agents, 
379 ;  adjourn  to  meet  at  Boston, 
380  ;  third  meeting,  388  ;  replies 
of  agents  submitted,  389  ;  private 
discussion  between  Commission- 
ers, 389-394;  agreement  of  Com- 
missioners, 394;  decision  executed 
on  paper,  394 ;  subsecjuen+ly  en- 
gi'ossed  on  parchment,  395,  399. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  commission  under 
fifth  article  of,  355 ;  first  meeting 
of,  361,  376;  second  meeting  at 
Boston,  instructions  for  surveyors, 
379,  380;  meetings  at  Burlington, 
Montreal  and  St.  Regis,  402; 
agreement  of  Commissioners  hope- 
less, 405  ;  meetings  at  New  York 
and  Boston,  405;  meeting  at  New 
York  in  1821,  arguments  of  agents, 
406 ;  Commissioners  file  separate 
reports,  407. 

Treaty  of  Ghent,  commission  under 
sixth  and  seventli  articles  of,  355 ; 
form  of  journal  of,  381;  to  meet  with 
Commissioners  under  the  fifth  ar- 
ticle of  the  treaty,  383. 

Treaty  of  1827  for  submission  of 
Northeast  Boundary  question  to  a 
friendly  sovereign,  407,  408. 

Treaty  of  1842  (Webster-Ash bur- 
ton), 360,  409. 

Tripoli,  war  with,  123. 

Tryon,  Governor,  15,  23. 

Turner,  John,  61. 

Uniacke,  Robert  John,  35,  329. 

Valeureux,  French  Frigate,  248, 
.     250. 

Van  Cortlandt,  Philip,  22. 

Van  Ness,  Cornelius  P.,  American 
Commissioner  under  the  fifth  ar- 
ticle of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  357, 
376,  377,  383,  384,  385,  396,  399. 

Van  Sehaick,  Coi'nelia,  marries  John 
Barclay,  2. 

Van  Sehaick,  Goosen  Gerritse,  6. 

Verplanck's  Point  jrtifications  at, 
23,  24. 


m 


INDEX 


06,  negoti- 
akney,  252, 

)visious  of, 

ision  under 
first  meet- 
id  meeting 
of  agents, 
at  Boston, 
^8 ;  replies 
59 ;  private 
^mmission- 
iit  of  Com- 
lu  executed 
luen^ly  en- 
6i)r>,  .m. 
jsion  under 
•st  meeting 
meeting  at 
■  surveyors, 
Burlin'*ton, 
iegis,  402; 
oners  hope- 
New  York 
ing  at  New 
s  of  agents, 
le  separate 

3sion  under 
los  of,  355 ; 
0 meet  with 
he  fifth  ar- 

mission   of 
lestion  to  a 
,408. 
ter-Ashbur- 


Vesey,  Rev.  William,  7. 
Veteran  French  Frigate,  244. 
Viper,  U.  S.  Ship,  332. 


429 


Walkill,  Barclay's  farm  at,  18,  22, 

War  with  Great  Britain  declp.-ed 
June  18,  1812,  257;  discussions  in 
congress  concerning,  307, 309, 310. 

Warren,  Admiral  Sir  John  Borlase 
248,  278,  281,  282,  314  3O0  326  S27' 
328,  329,  331,  333,  334.'""'  ^^^'  ^^^' 

Wasp.  U.  S.  Ship,  276. 

Waterloo,  Battle  of,  356. 

Watson,  Brook,  20,  21,  36,  61. 

Watson,  Lt.-Col.,  24 

Watts,  John,  Sr.,  13. 

Watts,  John,  Jr.,  13,  16,  31,  39. 


Watts,  Mary  (wife  of  Sir  John  John- 
son), 117. 

Watts,  Stephen,  40. 

Webster,  Col.  James,  23. 

Wellesley,  Marquis  of,  293,  294,  298 

Wentworth,  Sir  John,  Governor  of 
Nova  Scotia   61,  82,  105, 113,  134. 

''23ti3^,'?&,^S4|-'^ 
Whitefoord,  Caleb,  67. 
Willaumez,  Admiral,  243,  244  247 
Williams,  Col.  Jonathan,  U.  S,  A 
225.  '' 

Wilmot,  Nova  Scotia,  25,  28. 
Winslow,  Edward,  25,  64. 
Wood,  John,  130,  135. 

Yellow  fever,  prevalence  of,  in 
New  York,  103,  147,  152,  206,  225. 


,  35,  329. 

igate,   248, 


American 
he  fifth  ar- 
Ghent,  357, 
396,  399. 
arries  John 


rritse,  6. 
icatious  at. 


